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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 





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ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT; 



SCENES, INCIDENTS, AND WORK, 



AN EVANGELISTIC TOUR ROUND THE WORLD 



FOR THE 



promotion of Cfjrfetian ^olinms. 



BY 



MATTIE SISSON WOOD. 



Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither 
thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not 
leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of 

Gen. xxviii. 15. 






NORTH ^T^F^agOSe^TMASS. : 
PUBLISHED BY J. A. WOOD. 

1882. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1882, 

By J. A. Wood, 

In the Office of tlie Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 






Boston Stereotype Foundry, 
No. 4 Pearl Street. 



PRESSWORK BY DELAND & BARTA, 

101 Milk Street, Boston. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction xi 



CHAPTER I. 

FROM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 

Embarkation 15 

First Sunday on the Deep . . . . . . . . 16 

Life on the Ocean 16 

The GuK Stream 17 

Sunset on the Sea 18 

Icebergs , . . . 19 

Sea-sickness 20 

Fellow-Passengers 21 

Second Sunday at Sea 23 

Fourth of July Celebration 24 

A Mock Trial and its Consequences 25 

The Coast of Ireland = 26 

The Irish Sea .... 27 

On Land again 28 

CHAPTER II. 
ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 

From Liverpool to London 29 

An English Tea-Meeting 30 

Surrey Chapel 32 

St. Paul's Cathedral . 33 

Westminster Abbey , . . . 34 



IV CONTENTS. 

City-Road Chapel 37 

Bunhill Fields 39 

Progress of the Meeting- at Surrey Chapel 40 

Second Sunday in London 41 

Cleopatra's Needle 42 

Houses of Parliament 43 

Buckingham Palace 44 

Hyde Park and Albert Memorial 44 

Tower of London 45 

Last Sunday at Surrey Chapel ....... 49 

Madame Tussaud's Historical Gallery 50 

Last Service in London 51 

Farewell to London . 52 

Matlock Bank, Derbyshire ........ 53 

Malton 54 

First Sunday in Malton 55 

Progress of the Work in Malton . 56 

Castle Howard 58 

Closing Service in Malton . 62 

Leeds 63 

First Sunday in Leeds . .64 

Kirkstall Abbey 64 

Closing Services at Belle Vue Chapel ..... 65 

St. Peter's Wesleyan Chapel 66 

Progress of the Work in Leeds 67 

A Visit to York . . . . . . . . . . 68 

Closing Services in Leeds 72 

The Poor of England and the Salvation Army .... 73 

HuU 75 

An English Cemetery . . . . . . . . . 75 

First Week in Hull 76 

The Botanical Gardens " . . 77 

Close of the Meeting in Hull 77 

Middlesbrough 80 

Southport 83 



CONTENTS. V 

Liverpool 84 

Meetings at Everton Chapel 85 

Last Day in England . . . . . ... . . 86 

CHAPTER III. 

FOUR WEEKS OX THE SEA. 

Ashore and Afloat . . . ... . . . 89 

Passengers on the Hispania 89 

A Storm in the Bay of Biscay ....... 91 

The Coast of Portugal 93 

Gibraltar 94 

The Coasts of Spain and Morocco . . . . . .98 

Algeria, and Bay of Tunis 98 

Malta and Gozo 100 

Adria and Crete 101 

Port Said, Egypt 102 

Suez Canal 105 

Desert of Shur . .107 

From Lake Timseh to Suez 108 

Crossing the Red Sea . 110 

Gulf of Suez and Mount Sinai Ill 

A Seance on the Sea . . . Ill 

The Red Sea • . . 113 

Flying Fish . . . . 114 

A Night of Danger 114 

Jubal Zoocre and Mocha . . . . . . . . 115 

The Strait of Bab-el -Mandeb 116 

Aden 117 

Samaulian Negroes .118 

The Indian Ocean 119 

The Arabian Sea . 120 

Harbor of Bombay . . . 121 



VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 

Methodist Coffee Rooms 123 

The Streets of Bombay . 124 

Scenes from my Window 126 

Crawford Market 128 

Grant-Road Methodist Episcopal Church . . . . . 129 

Malabar Hill 130 

The Parsees and the Tower of Silence 131 

Home of Major Oldham 133 

First Sunday in India 134 

From Bombay to Poona . 134 

Poona : First Tabernacle Services 137 

Temple of Parbutti 138 

Thanksgiving in India 141 

Free Church of Scotland Orphanage 142 

An Abundance of Rain .... ... 143 

Elephant and Camel Riding 144 

Sunday Tabernacle Services 145 

Native Sunday Schools 146 

Mrs. Sorabji's School .147 

Meeting in the Native City 148 

Homes of Wealthy Natives 149 

Conclusion of the Poona Meeting 151 

Return to Bombay 152 

Raising the Tabernacle and Opening Service .... 153 

Sabbath Tabernacle Services . . . .... 155 

Nocturnal Visitors 156 

Mohammedan Zenanas 157 

Bishop Merrill at the Tabernacle 159 

A Sunday among Soldiers . 160 

Mohammedan Mohurrum 162 

South India Conference . 164 

Closing Tabernacle Services 166 



CONTEXTS. VU 

Children's Meetings in Bombay 167 

An Indian Conference Love Feast 169 

Banyan-Trees and Hindoo Burning Ground .... 170 

Housekeeping in the Cars » . , 172 

Pleasui-es of Travel in India 174 

Allahabad 175 

Christmas in India 176 

Akbar's Fort . . . . 177. 

Subterranean Temple and Bleeding Tree , . . . . 178 

Fakirs along the Ganges ........ 179 

Baptist and Union Zenana Missions . = .... 181 

The Meeting in Allahabad . . 183 

The Famine District 185 

The Valley of the Ganges . . ... . . .186 

Bareilly Girls' Orphanage 187 

North India Conference ........ 188 

Dispensary and Hospital of the W. F. M. S .189 

Inside the Orphanage 191 

Sunday at Bareilly 192 

"Woman's Missionary Society of the North India Conference . 193 

Missionary Home Life 195 

Religious Services at Bareilly ....;.. 196 

Lucknow 197 

The Residency and the Sepoy Mutiny . . . . . 198 

Palaces and Mosques of Lucknow 200 

Monkey Temple 203. 

A Division of Labor . 203 

Caste in India 205 

The Meeting at Lucknow 206 

Cawnpore Mission 207 

Cawnpore . 208, 

The Massacre . . . . 209 

The Memorial Garden 210 

Cawnpore Girls' School 212 

The Meeting at Cawnpore . . « . . . . . 213 



Vlll 



CONTENTS. 



Hindoo Mala at Allahabad , . , . 213 

Jubbulpore 217 

The Thugs . . . . . . . . . . . 219 

Return to Bombay » . . . 220 

Last Sunday in India 221 

Bombay Missionary Conference 221 

Closing Services in India . . . . « . . . 222 

Homeward Bound . . o , 223 

Man Overboard , . . . 224 

Life on the Britannia ......... 226 

Five Days in Suez Canal « . 227 

Five Days at Port Said . . „ 228 



CHAPTER V. 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 



Jaffa, or Joppa 

The Plains of Sharon . 

From Latroon to Jerusalem 

Inside View of Jerusalem . 

The Church of the Holy Sepulch 

The Royal Quarries 

The Temple Area 

The Wilderness of Judea . 

The Dead Sea 

The River Jordan 

Jericho 

Bethany .... 
The Mount of Olives . 
The Garden of Gethsemane . 
The Tomb of the Kings 
A Walk about Jerusalem 
A Sunday on Mount Zion 
The Jews' Wailing Place 



229 
232 
235 
238 
239 
242 
243 
247 
252 
254 
255 
257 
258 
260 
261 
263 
264 
265 



CONTENTS. IX 

Bethlehem 266 

The Church of the Nativity ........ 268 

Farewell to Palestine .269 

CHAPTER VI. 

ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 

An Egyptian Lazaretto . . 270 

Sicily and Italy 273 

Naples 274 

Sunday in Naples . . 275 

Pompeii 276 

Rome 278 

St. Peter's Church 279 

The Vatican . . . . 281 

Remains of Ancient Rome 282 

Appian Way and Catacombs 284 

St. Paul's outside the Walls . 285 

St. John Lateran and Pilate's Staircase . . . . . 286 

Our Meetings in Rome 287 

From Rome to Paris 287 

Paris 289 

CHAPTER VII. 

RETURN TO ENGLAND. 

Crossing the Channel 292 

Stepney Green Tabernacle, London 293 

Leeds 294 

Leicester 294 

Sheffield • 295 

Grimsby 296 

St. Helen's 297 

Farewell Meeting 298 

Homeward Voyage 300 



X ONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

AROUND THE WORLD. 

Calcutta .303 

Voyage to Ceylon 306 

Ceylon 307 

Voyage to Australia 309 

Australia , 310 

Melbourne 310 

Ballarat 312 

Geeiong .313 

Sidney .314 

The Pacific Ocean 317 

San Francisco . 318 

At Home once more . . . ■ , . . . . , 318 



STEEL ENGRAVINGS. 

Rev. J. S. Inskip . . . . . . . . Frontispiece. 

Rev. AVilliam McDonald ...... To face page 29 

Rev. J. A. Wood ... c ...."'* 89 



INTRODUCTIO]vr. 



A FOREIGN" evangelistic tour to promote the expe- 
rience of Christian holiness, had been for some 
years in the mind of several ministers of the Methodist 
Episcopal Clmrch, members of the ]^ational Associa- 
tion for the Promotion of Holiness. The desire fre- 
quently expressed by a number of devoted members 
of the Wesleymi and Primitive Societies of England, 
that the interest in holiness which has become so wide- 
spread in America during the past twenty years, might 
become more general in Great Britain, finally ripened 
into urgent invitations for some who had been success- 
ful in leading the peo^Dle into the experience of holi- 
ness to come over and helj^ them. 

These invitations from England became known to 
Rev. Win. B. Osborn, presiding elder of the Madras 
District South India Conference, and awakened a 
strong desire that the evangelistic tour should extend 
as far as British India. Across the wide expanse of 
waters came invitations from both the North and 
South India Conferences to visit India in the interest 
of the "Central idea of Methodism." Requests for 



XU INTRODUCTION. 

services were also received from Rome and other 
points. 

Thus gradually expanded the idea of a " round 
the world tour " for the promotion of Bible holiness. 
Some whose writings on this subject had made their 
names familiar to foreign Methodism and to the 
church in general, received these invitations as a call 
from God. Before any plans had been definitely 
formed, Mrs. G. I. Richardson, of Lutherville, Balti- 
more County, Md., offered a valuable jewel — a ruby 
set in diamonds — toward defraying the expenses of 
the tour. This fact was stated in the "Christian 
Standard," a weekly paper devoted to the cause of 
holiness, and awakened a responsive chord in the 
hearts of many of its readers. 

A subscription was opened, and hundreds of pure- 
hearted Christians contributed. Those most deeply 
interested in foreign missions felt that they could give 
something without diminishing their regular contribu- 
tions to the foreign missionary societies ; and in so 
doing they would encourage the hearts of the mis- 
sionaries in their distant fields, and assist in bringing 
our mission churches into closer fellowship with those 
at home. 

Those belonging to the Methodist Church believed 
that in sending forth this little company of evangelists 
they were carrying out the motto of the men who 
founded their societies in England and America, 
" Our field is the world," and the people called Method- 
ists were raised up by God to spread scriptural holi- 
ness over all lands. 

The month of June, 1880, was decided upon as the 
time for starting. The company comprised Rev. J. S. 



INTRODUCTION. XIU 

Inskip, president of the National Association and editor 
of the "Christian Standard," Rev. Wm. McDonald, 
editor of the "Advocate of Holiness^" and author of 
" New Testament Standard of Piety " and " Scriptural 
Views of Holiness," and Rev. J. A. Wood, author of 
"Perfect Love" and "Purity and Maturity." These 
ministers were accompanied by their wives and by 
W. A. A. Gardner, a young man who went out with a 
view to self-supporting missionary labor in India. 

All the company were members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in regular standing. They did not 
go to promote any new doctrine, nor to break down 
denomijiational lines, but taught Christian holiness 
according to the standards of Methodism, and sought 
to lead the church to a higher and deeper religious 
experience, and to more thorough aggressive labor for 
the conversion of sinners. 

The doctrine, as taught by them, is : That sanctifi- 
cation is that act of divine grace whereby the believer 
is made holy; it is received by faith, the same as regen- 
eration, is subsequent to conversion, and is the privi- 
lege and duty of every Christian ; that it is preceded 
by entire consecration, attested by the divine Spirit, 
and attended by a godly life. 

Passage was engaged on the steamship Erin, of the 
National Line, which sailed from New York for Liver- 
pool June 26, 1880. A farewell meeting was arranged 
for Tuesday evening, June 22, at^ M-adis on- Avenue 
Methodist Episcopal Church, New York City. The 
Round Lake National Camp-meeting had just closed, 
and many friends of holiness from various sections of 
the country, of different denominations, were present. 
The movement was too independent to be claimed by 



XIV INTEODUCTION. 

any association, and too world-wide to belong exclu- 
sively to one denomination. 

The company Avere entertained in New York at the 
hospitable home of Hon. Chauncey Shaffer, during the 
days that intervened between Tuesday and Saturday, 
while completing arrangements for their long absence. 

A daily record was kept by one of the party for 
future reference, and not designed for publication ; 
but, since our return, many friends in England and 
in this country have expressed the desire that it be 
made public. Though sight-seeing did not enter even 
remotely into the object of the tour, it Avas imjoossible 
to go so far and visit so many places without seeing 
much that would be of interest to the generak reader, 
and esj^ecially so to the friends of holiness who gave 
their money toward the exjoenses and sustained the 
mission by their prayers. 

This diar}', in its present form, is given with the 
hope that it may stimulate to Christian activity, 
strengthen faith in the Providence of God, and in his 
power to save from all sin, and that it may deepen the 
interest in mission work in foreign lands. 

MATTIE SISSON WOOD. 



ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 



CHAPTER I. 

FKOM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 

EMBARKATION. 

Steamship Erin, Saturday, June 26. Our com- 
pany went on board ship at 7.30 a. m. The mornmg 
was warm and clear. The j^receding day had been 
the hottest of the season ; seventy sunstrokes in N'ew 
York during the day. ]N"otwithstanding. the early 
hour, many relatives and Christian friends were at the 
ship to see us off, and there were i^lenty of moist eyes, 
though all were full of courage and trust. 

The bell rung, the last good-bys were uttered, or 
smothered in sobs, and at 8 o'clock the Erin steamed 
out of Pier 39, North River, our company standing on 
the deck and singing, "Coming by-and-by," in re- 
sponse to the cheers and waving handkerchiefs of the 
loved ones on the wharf. 

At 9 o'clock we passed through the Narrows, three 
steamers following in our wake. The pilot left us off 
Sandy Hook before noon, and at 2 p. m. Fire Island 
lighthouse, east of Long Island, disappeared, and we 
bade our native shores adieu. We now are out of 
sight of land, upon the Atlantic Ocean. The air is 
cool and invigorating ; the water has changed from a 



16 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

light green to a deep, indigo blue. Our ship's com- 
j^any consists of fifty-seven saloon and thirty-four 
steerage passengers, and one hundred officers, crew^ 
and employees. Our iron steamship is four hundred 
and twenty feet long, has four decks, being forty- 
eight feet deep, consumes sixty tons of coal per day, 
and moves through the water at an average speed of 
eleven miles an hour. 

FIRST SUNDAY ON THE DEEP. 

June 27. A cahn sea and a quiet Sabbath. Cai> 
tain Andrews, commander of the Erin, read the grand 
old Church of England service at 10.30 a.m., in the 
saloon. None of h^er majesty's subjects resj^onded 
more gladly to the blessings invoked upon Queen 
Victoria and the royal family than our American 
party. In the afternoon we sailed through a large 
school of i^orpoises, which greatly amused the passen- 
gers by their diving, leaj^ing, and swimming. They 
moved for some time by the side of the ship, in lines, 
like well-trained soldiers. The captain requested one 
of our company to preach in the evening, but all were 
feeling the motion of the steamer too much to comply. 
It is arranged that we have devotions in the saloon 
morning and evening. A pleasant service of song fol- 
lowed those last night, which many of the passengers 
attended. 

LIFE ON THE OCEAN. 

Monday, June 28. We sleep well, rise at 5 o'clock, 
and go on deck as soon as the sailors have finished 
scrubbing it. All the decks are washed every morning 
and the brass-work polished. It is some cooler than 



FROM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 17 

yesterday, and overcoats and shawls are very comfort- 
able. We are so hungry that the breakfast bell is the 
sweetest sound heard in the morning, and we wish it 
rung two hours earlier. There, are four meals per 
day; breakfast at 8.30 a.m., lunch at 12.30, dinner at 
5, and tea at 8.30 p. m. The fare is good, and includes 
a pleasant variety. Dinner is quite an elaborate affair, 
and is announced by two bells, half an hour apart; 
time being given to arrange the toilet. Captain 
Andrews dons his dress coat of navy-blue with gilt 
cord and buttons. He is a sterling, careful English- 
man, rather dry in his remarks, and a little reserved 
toward our company, though he has given us the 
honor of sitting at his table. The dinner includes five 
courses : 1, soup ; 2, fish ; 3, meats and vegetables of 
various kinds ; 4, puddings and pastry ; 5, fruit and 
nuts. 

Observations are taken every day at 12 m., and the 
log is placed under the clock in the saloon. To-day it 
reports us five hundred and fifty-two miles from Sandy 
Hook, in N. lat. 40° 33', and W. long. 62° 00'. Our 
watches, which always agree with the clock at break- 
fast, have a mysterious way of losing nearly a half 
hour before lunch. We account for it by the fact 
that we are journeying toward the place where the 
sun rises, and are reminded that when we reach that 
land where "the sun no more goes down," time will 
be no longer. 

THE GULF STKEAM. 

Tuesday, June 27. The air is soft and balmy. 
We are in the Gulf Stream, where the water averages 
sixty-eight degrees, being from twenty to thirty de- 



18 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

grees warmer than the oceau. It has been known to 
rise to eighty degrees when the water outside was at 
the freezing j^oint. The current is more rapid than 
the MississijDpi or the Amazon, and it is many times 
wider than either river. The surface of the stream is 
dotted with patches of beautiful golden moss, drifting 
northward from the Sargasso or Weedy Sea, which 
lies midway between the Bahama Islands and the 
Azores. The Gulf Stream is Salter than the ocean, 
and of a richer blue, so that one may know when he is 
passing into or out of this strange river in the sea, 
which gives storms to New England, fogs to New- 
foundland, and green fields and balmy air to Great 
Britain. 

SUNSET ON THE SEA. 

After our late dinner we came on deck and found 
the ocean as smooth as a sea of glass. It seemed as 
though the Lord had spoken "Peace, be still," and 
every Avave had gone to sleep. Soon the setting sun 
transfigured water and sky into a scene of wondrous 
beauty. The whole vault of heaven assumed a dome- 
like appearance. The dark blue water was flecked 
with all the hues of the rainbow, while the reflection of 
the western sky made a pathway on the sea like unto 
the streets of the New Jerusalem seen by John in 
vision on Patmos. The golden, transparent street 
stopped at the horizon where were the twelve founda- 
tions — stratus clouds of emerald, ruby, onyx, ame- 
thyst, and other colors, broken by dark masses of 
vapor which passed in procession to the north. Above 
them the amber sky Avas barred with pearly clouds 
that looked like spiral steps leading to the aj^ex of the 



FROM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 19 

dome above us. Gradually " iiiglit let down her cur- 
tain " on the scene and j^inned it Avith the Pole star, 
and Ave knew that we Avere yet this side of heaven. 

Suddenly a sailor sprung into the rigging, and tAvo 
others stationed themselves on deck Avith rockets. A 
steamsliip was in sight. It displayed tAVO bright lights, 
a Avhite one on the main-mast and a red one at the 
stern, denoting that she belonged to the White Star 
Line. Our steamer tAA^ice repeated her three rockets, 
tAVO white ones beloAv and a red one above, thiis sig- 
naling that we Avere of the National Line. A SAveet 
season of praise and prayer in the saloon closed another 
delightful day on the ocean. 

ICEBERGS. 

Wednesday, .June 30. To-day has been a perfect 
contrast of yesterday. There Avas a stiff breeze this 
morning which brought the chill of snoAV. The lady 
passengers retired to their saloon on the upper deck, 
and the gentlemen aa^io could endure it to the smoking- 
room. Query. — Why is no place provided for gentle- 
men who do not use tobacco? Is it right that the 
best place on deck be given to smokers and gamblers, 
while Christian men have no shelter unless they go 
beloAv? 

During the afternoon our steamer passed through a 
dense fog. When dinner Avas announced, the captain 
and first officer failed to take their places at table, but 
remained on the bridge, spy-glasses in hand, Avatching 
for unknoAvn dangers. It was so dark Ave almost 
needed the candles lighted. The gloomy fog- whistle 
warned any craft that might be near ; but more than 
from steam or sail vessel, collision Avas feared Avith 



20 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

those silent voyagers from the north that neither re- 
sjDond to horn nor whistle. Captain Andrews had 
been steering further south than usual to avoid them, 
but had that morning changed the course of the ship 
to the northeast. 

While at the table the fog partially lifted, and we 
were suddenly called to the deck by the cry, "An ice- 
berg in sight ! " There it was, looking like a great, 
white marble edifice, reflected against the black sky, 
only four miles ahead, and almost in the direct track 
of the Erin. As she bore away to the north and passed 
this dangerous yet beautiful object a mile and a half 
distant, the sun shone out for a few moments and painted 
the dark background a rich maroon, illuminated the 
snow mountain with rosy light, and changed the water 
beneath it to a translucent green. It was fully six 
hundred feet in length and two hundred and fifty in 
height out of the water. Three-fourths of this Arctic 
visitor must have been beneath the waves ; for rods 
around, it was encircled with j^oints like gate-posts, 
porticoes, and statuary. 

Away to the southward other icebergs were discern- 
ible, but when the night and fog again enveloped us, 
the northern horizon showed only void space. Truly 
the hand of the Lord had directed the helm, and he 
who holdeth the winds and the waves in his hand had 
guarded and guided our path. 

SEA-SICKNESS. 

Friday, July 2. Yesterday we passed out of the 

Gulf Stream into rougher water. The ship rolls from 

side to side, and locomotion is difficult. The guards 

have been put on the tables to prevent the dishes 



FROM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 21 

sliding into our laps. Most of the passengers have 
surrendered and joined the invalid corps. I find my- 
self belonging to a very small minority reporting regu- 
larly at meal-time. 

Tliere are sixty head of fat cattle in stalls on the 
lower deck, which have stood contentedly chewing their 
cuds as though under the green trees in their native 
meadows, but twenty-three of them are now sharing 
in the sea-sickness, and one has just died and been 
thrown overboard. 

FELLOW-PASSENGEES. 

Saturday, July 3. Head winds retard the ship. We 
haA^e been on the sea one week, and have sailed one 
thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven miles. Sea 
birds have attended us all the way. The petrels skim 
along in the wake of the ship ; they resemble our bob- 
olink, being black and white, though of a reddish- 
brown under the wings. These little wanderers upon 
the deep, called by tlie sailors " Mother Carey's chick- 
ens," follow the ships and live upon the crumbs thrown 
overboard. 

We walk from the stern to the bow seven times in 
a day, and thus enjoy a full mile of healthful exercise. 
The week has been one of delightful rest and recuper- 
ation, tliough not spent in idleness. Reading, writing, 
and sewing have emj^loyed many of the hours. Our 
morning and evening social services have been times 
of refreshing. In our tiny state-rooms we have had 
many sweet seasons alone with Jesus, and have fairly 
reveled in the scriptures, and found the Psalms espe- 
cially rich in allusions to the sea. 

Among our fellow-voyagers are some lovely ChriS' 



22 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

tians. There is a little company who always join in 
our family devotions. Miss Davis, a teacher from 
Newtonville, Mass., and her associate, Miss Foote, 
daughter of the Rev. J. B. Foote of the Central New 
York Conference, Mr. Turten and wife of Cleveland, 
O., Dr. Currier, an Episcopal minister of PhiladelpJiia, 
and some others, seem to belong to our company. 

There are three " sisters of charity," with two pro. 
tegees^ en route for a Catholic school in France, who 
are intelligent, cultivated, and social. One family 
from Texas are going to Knoch, in the north of Ire- 
land, hoping the little adopted daughter, who moves 
about on crutches, may be miraculously healed. This 
Knoch is a new shrine of the Catholics, where they 
superstitiously believe the Virgin and some of the saints 
have appeared and imparted wonderful healing power 
to the clay about a certain spring. The old priest 
who has charge of the place, is said by them to have a 
great pile of abandoned crutches which belonged to 
those who came halt and went away cured. 

An aged Irish lady, who came to America fifty 
years ago, now going home to Ireland for a visit, 
creates much amusement by her quaint sayings. 
Several young ladies are sweet singers, but seemed to 
enjoy dancing in the saloon last evening quite as well 
as they did the hymns which they sung an hour be- 
fore. A young doctor and some young lawyers, natu- 
ralized, but not native Americans, are "examples of fast 
young men, fond of wine, cards, tobacco, and frolic. 
We have found some devoted Christians in the steer- 
age whom we have visited occasionally, and with 
whom our company held a prayer meeting this even- 
ing. 



F^OM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 23 



SECO:?^) SUNDAY AT SEA. 

July 4. Cai^taiii Andrews was obliged to remain 
on the bridge, it being somewhat foggy in the morn- 
ing. x4n English major, who has spent most of his 
time card-playing and wine-drinking, and was prom- 
inent in the indecent round dances Friday evening, 
read the church service, to which the young lady 
dancers glibly responded. The captain announced at 
lunch that " Rev. Dr. Inskip " would conduct divine 
service in the saloon in the evening, and, as there had 
been some huzzas on deck, he also requested all to de- 
sist from any celebration of the Fourth of July until 
Monday, when he would afford them every facility ex- 
cept the use of gunpowder. 

Toward evening the wind subsided, the sea became 
calm, and the sky clear. Tea was an hour earlier, to 
be out of the way for the evening service. There was 
a general attendance of saloon and steerage passen- 
gers, beside many of the officers and some of the crew. 
A Spanish lady presided at the piano. A choir of 
English Episcopalians sung grandly the dear old 
hymns, "All hail the power of Jesus' name" and 
"Jesus, lover of my soul." Mr. McDonald offered 
prayer, which brought us very close to God. Mr. 
Inskip took for his text, "I am not ashamed of the 
Gospel of Christ," and preached with much sweetness 
and fervor a sermon admirably adapted to the occa- 
sion and to his mixed audience. Mr. Wood made the 
closing prayer. A heavenly influence pervaded the 
saloon, wdiich the rowdy element felt, and was hushed 
into gentleness and sobriety. 



24 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

FOUKTH OF JULY CELEBRATION. 

Monday, July 5. Though most part of our fellow 
voyagers were turning their faces homeward to their 
native land, the Fourth of July was celebrated on tlie 
British steamshijj Erin. Having reverently observed 
the Lord's day. Captain Andrews remembered his 
promise, for, on going into the saloon this morning, we 
found it decorated with bunting. British, Spanish, 
and French flags and pennons were all about the room, 
but the i^ost of honor was given to our own beautiful 
Stars and Stripes. One covered the piano, another 
hung before the mirror, and a third was linked with 
the Cross of St. George at the lower end of the saloon. 

The exercises commenced at half-past ten o'clock by 
singing " Nearer, my God, to thee," which might be 
well styled our national hymn. Rev. Dr. Currier 
offered prayer. The " Declaration of Independence " 
was read by Mr. Nordlinger, a young lawyer, with 
earnestness and fine enunciation. Imj^romptu speeches 
were called for. The major, mentioned yesterday, 
attempted to justify the course pursued by the British 
government, supplementing his remarks by saying it 
was the first time he had " met with this document." 
He admired its rhetoric, but wished to stand up for 
the defence of Great Britain ; that " the grievances 
enumerated took place in time of war," showing that 
he was poorly posted in the history of America prior 
to 1776. A few faintly cheered his speech. 

Rev. J. S. Inskip rose, and was greeted with cheers. 
He commenced by saying he was surprised that a per- 
son of the evident culture of the friend who had just 
spoken should never have read the "Declaration of 



FROM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 25 

Independence." He had supposed that every man of 
ordinary intelligence and education the world over 
was familiar with this matchless pajDer. The speaker 
then showed that the ravages along our coast, the de- 
struction of our industries, and the massacre of our 
citizens were not incidents of the war, but predispos- 
ing causes ; that George III. trampled on the great 
fundamental principles of the Magna Charta in his 
aggressions on the American Colonies. His remarks, 
which were of some length and full of telling points, 
were loudly applauded. They were followed by sing- 
ing " The Star-Spangled Banner " and " God Save the 
Queen." 

A Fourth of July dinner followed, with turkey, 
mince-j^ie, a large ham ornamented with the American 
eagle, pies and cakes frosted with the words " America 
and England forever," etc. The captain made an 
after-dinner speech full of j^lain, Anglo-Saxon common 
sense. A short prayer service and the singing of 
some of our American hymns closed our celebration 
of the Fourth. 

A MOCK TEIAL AND ITS COl^SEQUEN^CES. 

Tuesday, July 6. Frequent showers, the appearance 
of sea-gulls, and more ships in view, betoken a near 
approach to the coast of Ireland. 

The pleasure-lovers have been busy all day making 
arrangements for a mock trial in the saloon this even- 
ing. They have summoned as witnesses all who would 
participate in it. Knowing that such things rarely 
end well, we refused to take any part, but went into 
the saloon for a short time during the progress of the 
trial. At first all went smoothly, but soon some witty 



2Q ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

testimony hitting rather hard, we saw frowns taking 
the phace of smiles and sareasm for repartee, so we 
withdrew to om* state-rooms. The affair closed shortly 
before midnight with a row, in which hard words were 
succeeded by indications of a fight. Pistols were pre- 
sented with threats, and murder might have been the 
result had not Brother Inskip, whose state-room was on 
that side of the ship, arisen and persuaded the com- 
batants to retire. 

THE COAST OF lEELAIfD. 

Wednesday, July 7. At seven o'clock this morning 
we heard the joyful cry of " Land ahead ! " and, hasten- 
ing on deck, were quickly followed by our aged Irish 
lady. Before us was the outline of a promontory 
called Crow Head, at the entrance to Bantry Bay, the 
southwestern point of Ireland. The dear old lady was 
so excited that she moved up and down the deck wav- 
ing her long arm, and saying, "Surely, an' it is the 
auld country, swate Ireland ! " We rejoiced with her, 
some of our company shouting " Hurrah for the Em- 
erald Isle ! " Had we been absent from our country 
for half a century, no doubt we should have been as 
much excited and as enthusiastic as our fellow pas- 
senger. 

After feasting her eyes on the headlands as one after 
another came in sight, she disappeared below for a 
short time. When next we saw her, she was arrayed 
in a rich costume of brown satin and velvet ; her bon- 
net adorned with jet and flowers, rather youthful for 
her age, though not more resplendent than her beam- 
ing, expectant face. When we near the ISTew Jerusa- 
lem, may our souls be found clothed in moral loveliness, 



FROM AMERICA TO ENGLAND. 27 

and our countenances aglow with anticij)ation of seeing 
" the king in his beauty." 

All day we skirted the southern coast of Ireland. 
How deliglitful the cliffs and bays, the green fields 
and gray hills looked after ten days with nothing but 
sea and sky ! The ocean has lost its blueness and be- 
come as green as near the shores of our own America. 
Some of the round towers built to repel the Spanish 
Armada are still standing, and we occasionally caught 
glimpses of an old baronial castle. The country looked 
fertile with its hedges and potato patches, though there 
seemed a dearth of large trees or forest land ; and the 
clusters of mud huts, denominated villages, illy con- 
sorted with the otherwise beautiful landscape. . At 4 
p. M. the wheel stopped for the first time since dis- 
charging our pilot off Sandy Hook, and the shij) 
dropped anchor in the roadstead, where a lighter from 
Queenstown took nearly half our passengers and our 

mail. 

THE IRISH SEA. 

Thursday, July 8. We steamed up St. George's 
Channel during the night, rounded Holyhead early this 
morning, and entered the rough Irish Sea. The motion 
of the ship was very uncomfortable in this short, chopped 
sea. An unpleasant drizzle prevented our enjoying 
the scenery of the Welsh coast or obtaining a view of 
cloud-capi^ed Snowdon. The wind and tide were 
against us, and it was three o'clock when we reached 
the mouth of the Mersey, three quarters of an hour 
too late to pass the bar. After waiting six hours, the 
tedium relieved by watching the antics of hundreds of 
sea-gulls that circled about our ship, the tide rose, and 
at 10.30 P.M. we anchored within the Mersey in sight 
of the long rows of gas-lights in Birkenhead. 



28 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT, 



ON LAND AGAIN. 

Friday, July 9. During the night our ship moved 
into one of the stone clocks that for ten miles line the 
harbor of Liverpool, and commenced unloading freight. 
It was a noisy, sleepless night. The creaking of the 
windlass, the thud of bags of grain and boxes of 
cheese, the shouts of the men, and the tramp of feet 
over our heads, made it the most unpleasant night of 
our voyage. But, God be praised, we are here safe 
and well, have not been sick an hour, and feel stronger 
than when we left home. At eight o'clock the custom- 
house officials announced that passengers might land. 
Our baggage was not opened, and the only question 
asked was, " Have you any tobacco or whiskey ? " to 
which we unhesitatingly answered " No." 

We took a cab, and were carried to Lime Street 
station in time for the eleven o'clock train for London 
by the Northwestern Railway. It was good to be on 
terra firma again, though everything indicated that we 
were in a strange land. The smoky hue of the build- 
ings, the great lumbering vans drawn by enormous 
draught-horses, the policemen wearing helmets and 
short-waisted coats, the heavy appearance of every- 
thing, even to the dress of the women, and the slow 
movements of the laboring men going to their daily 
work, were unlike the brisk, bright aspect of an Ameri- 
can city. 









/yL-c^t^ 



"^jy^^jhrn^^ 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 29 



CHAPTEK n. 

ONE HIINDEED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 

FROM LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. 

Fpjday EvejS7jS"G, July 9. English railroads are 
very different from those in America. The cars — or 
coaches, as they are termed — are divided crosswise 
into small compartments, whicli have no communica- 
tion with each other, but are entered directly from the 
platform, and are numbered first, second, and third 
class, according to paint and upholstering. The seats 
are arranged as in an omnibus, for ten persons to sit 
facing each other, half of whom are compelled to ride 
backward. Before the train starts, the doors are 
locked, and, no matter who may be our traveling 
comjDanions, we are without any chance of communi- 
cating with the "guard" (who answers to our con- 
ductor), while the train is in motion. The road-bed is 
very level, with few curves or grades, but deep cuts 
and tunnels in abundance. It is ballasted with stone, 
and the track inclosed on each side w^ith hedges, 
which very largely supply the place of fences in Eng- 
land. The highways always cross the track by sub- 
stantial brick bridges, and walking on the track is 
punishable by law. 

Our ride takes us through the centre of England. 
We are delighted with the variety and beauty of the 
landscape ; vales and hills, all under the highest culti- 
vation; no rocky or waste land, but fields of wheat 



30 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

and barley, meadows dotted with scarlet poppies, and 
rich pastures, in which fine sheep and cattle are luxu- 
riating. Every foot of land is utilized. Even the 
embankments along the railroad track, usually sloping 
down to instead of from the track, are evenly sodded, 
sown w^ith barley, or planted with potatoes and cab- 
bages. The season is a month later here than in" Mas- 
sachusetts, and vegetation appears like early June at 
home. We passed some large towns, but none of 
note except Rugby, famous for its grammar school, 
founded during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and pre- 
sided over for many years by the celebrated Dr. Arnold. 
We traveled tAvo hundred miles, from Liverpool to 
London, in four hours. On our arrival at Euston sta- 
tion (depots are called stations here), two ministerial- 
looking gentlemen standing on the platform came to 
the door of our compartment, and 'said, "Are these 
our American friends?" They were Rev. Benjamin 
Senior, pastor of Surrey Chapel, and Rev. George 
Warner, a prominent evangelist and writer, of the 
Primitive Methodist Church. Our company were the 
guests of these gentlemen during our stay in London. 

AIS" ENGLISH TEA MEETING. 

Saturday, July 10. A tea meeting was appointed 
in the vestry of Surrey Chapel, to welcome the Amer- 
ican evangelists. About one hundred people sat down 
to the tables. These tea meetings are an English in- 
stitution'. The sup23er is very plain ; only tea, bread 
and butter, ready spread, and some cake. The relig- 
ious meeting which always follows the tea is the best 
part of the feast. 

Dr. Colin M'Kechnie, president of the Primitive 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 31 

Methodist Conference, presided. The Methodists of 
this country have no bishops, but choose a president 
yearly, at each conference. In a brief and appro- 
priate speech Dr. M'Kechnie welcomed the American 
brethren in the name of the Primitive Methodists of 
England, saying that in doing this his duty was his 
delight. Admiral E. G. Fishbourne, of the Church 
of England, spoke some hearty words, for the laity, 
that gave assurance of one soldier that would not 
quail, however fierce the fight for God and full salva- 
tion. Dr^ Smyth, of Maidstone, Episcopalian, said 
that the great need of the Church was a faithful pres- 
entation of Christian holiness. Dr. Asa Mahan, for- 
merly President of Oberlin College, and now associate 
editor of " Divine Life," made us feel at liome as we 
looked on his venerable form, and felt that his warm, 
tender utterances came from an American who wel- 
comed the visitors as fellow-helj^ers to the truth. Mr. 
Senior, pastor of Surrey Chapel, j^romised the most 
cordial co-operation. He is a young man of faith and 
zeal, who took the handful of people gatliered into the 
old Chapel after Xewman Hall and his large congre- 
gation abandoned it, and has built up quite a church, 
with a flourishing Sunday school. 

No words were spoken to-night that came from a 
warmer heart than those of Rev. George Warner, a 
big, brave, fiery Englishman, who throws his whole 
soul into the work, and loves holiness better than rep- 
utation, position, or money. Revs. Messrs. Inskip, 
McDonald, and Wood each responded briefly, modestly, 
and in words characteristic of their personal individu- 
ality. Mrs. Inskij^ presided at her little organ, and led 
in singing some of our new American tunes. 



32" ENGLAND AND THE OKIENT. 



SUKREY CHAPEL. 

Sunday, July 11. Old Surrey Chapel, at the cor- 
ner of Blackfriars road and Charlotte street, — not far 
from the Thames, — is, as Dr. Berridge quaintly stated^ 
"in the middle of tlie devil's territory in London." 
The yellow bricks of this round Dissenting meeting- 
house have become gray in the smut and fog, and the 
interior has the same dull appearance, though it has 
windows enough to answer for a green-house, that have 
neither blinds nor curtains to exclude the light. The 
eccentric but devoted Kowland Hill laid its corner- 
stone ninety-nine years ago, and for fifty years minis- 
tered in its lofty puli3it. Underneath this pulpit his 
body now reposes, while back of it is a tablet to his 
memory, with his bust in bold relief, looking out over 
the straight, high-back pews. If the platform were 
larger, the place would look like some dingy old 
theatre. 

Here the Holiness mission commenced its labors 
this morning. The trams (street cars) and omnibuses, 
both two stories, and loaded inside and out, rattled 
past continually over the stony streets, while every 
ten minutes the whiz, and rush, and screech of the 
elevated rail-cars in the rear of the Chapel deafened 
the ears of preacher and hearers. Around the Chapel, 
the streets were full of people patronizing the market 
stalls along the sidewalk, or stopping at the butcher 
and green-grocer shops, which were in full blast until 
twelve o'clock on the Lord's day. Mr. Inskip jDreached 
in the morning, Mr. McDonald in the afternoon, and 
Mr. Wood at night. The congregation was moderate 
until evening, when it was quite large. About forty 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 33 

persons rose, desiring pardon or purity. The after 
meeting in the Sunday school room was crowded. 
Several were consciously saved, among them a young 
Wesleyan preacher. The services for the week are to 
be each day at 2.30, 6, and 7, p.m. The six o'clock 
service is for prayer, inquiry, and testimony. 

When we left the Chapel, the whiskey and beer 
shops were brilliantly lighted. These liquor-sellers are 
familiarly called " publicans " by everybody here, even 
by the drinkers themselves. They are rightly named, 
for they take tribute of their own countrymen to en- 
rich the kingdom of Satan, the enemy of mankind. 

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. 

MoxDAY, July 12. This morning we visited St. 
Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, in the centre of 
London. This immense structure, in the form of a 
Latin cross, covers two acres, and could seat 25,000 
people. It is 500 feet long, and 250 wide, and the 
dome is the most conspicuous object in London, being 
404 feet from the ground to the top of the cross. Its 
great bell weighs 11,470 lbs., and its four clock-dials 
are each 57 feet in circumference. It was built of 
white marble, but has become black as soot in many 
places by standing 170 years in London smoke. 

In front of the Cathedral is Bird's statue of Queen 
Anne, surrounded by figures representing England, 
France, Ireland, and America. The interior is of cold, 
gray stone, unrelieved by painting or mosaic, but 
adorned with statues of England's departed generals, 
scholars, and divines. On them all rests the dust of years, 
and a good house-cleaning seemed greatly needed before 
we could admire the grace and truthfulness of these 



34 ENGLAi^D AND THE OEIENT. 

wonderful pieces of statuary. Here stand Wolfe and 
Burgoyne, Cornwallis and Abercrombie, Nelson and 
Lawrence, Wellington and Sir John Moore, Bishops 
Heber and South, and Middleton, the first bishop to 
India, surrounded by converted Hindoos. Nelson lies 
in a coffin made from the mast of one of his French 
prizes. The bronze sarcophagus of Wellington is in a 
large chamber hung with mortuary decorations, and 
containing a representation in marble of his funeral- 
car as it passed through the streets of London. The 
whole structure is a monument to the genius of Chris- 
topher Wren, the architect, and cost £1,511,202, or 
17,500,000, which was raised by a tax on coal. 

WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 

Tuesday, July 13. Crossing Westminster bridge, 
the most beautiful of the twelve gi-eat bridges which 
span the Thames (Temz), and passing the tall clock- 
tower of the Houses of Parliament, the cluster of 
buildings known as Westminster Abbey stood before 
us. There is a strange, weird beauty about this Gothic 
pile unlike anything we have ever seen. There is but 
one Westminster Abbey in all the world. The exterior 
would furnish study for days; the heavy buttresses, 
pointed arches, varied decorations, the turrets and 
pinnacles, the crumbling statuary and broken orna- 
mentation, possess a grandeur inexpressible. There is 
a singular combination of lightness and strength, of 
grandeur and grace, in this monumental structure that 
for nine centuries has embodied the religious thought 
of the Church of England. 

Admission to this vast mausoleum is free, except to 
some reserved parts. Entering the great west door, 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 35 

we walked up the nave, one hundred and sixty-six feet 
in length. The subdued light shone through lofty 
stained-glass windows ; twenty circular pillars with 
richly adorned caj^itals uplield the elegant j^ointed 
arches beneath the gallery, and, continuing upward, 
supported the network of oaken rafters one hundred 
feet above us. Brasses and grave-stones, inscribed 
with names of the departed, comj^osed the pavement 
beneath our feet ; tombs and statues to scores of Eng- 
land's heroes, statesmen, and nobles, crowded the 
aisles. Directly before us stands the tomb of Sir 
Isaac Newton. Up this great nave kings and queens 
have come to receive the crown, princes to the solemn 
marriage ceremony ; and hundreds of funeral jH'oces- 
sions have paused where we now stand. 

Turning to the right we enter the south transept, 
called " Poet's Corner." Here we are surrounded by 
the tombs and monuments of Chaucer, Dryden, 
Spencer, Milton, Gray, Campbell, Shakespeare, Gold- 
smith, Addison, Macaulay, Handel, Dickens, and 
many, many more who gave birth or assisted to build 
up our English classical literature. Here, to use the 
words of Addison, are "poets who have no monu- 
ments and monuments which have no poets," for some 
whose tablets adorn these walls are sleeping in distant 
graves, and there are nameless graves even in West- 
minster Abbey. 

One of the most remarkable inscriptions in the south 
transept is to the memory of Thomas Parr, born A. D. 
1483, lived during the reign of ten sovereigns, and was 
buried here Nov. 15, 1635, aged one hundred and fifty- 
two years. Crossing an exquisite mosaic pavement, 
composed of porphyiy, jasper, alabaster, and various 



36 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

marbles, set in geometric figures, we entered the north 
transept, where Pitt, Wilberforce, Pahnerston, and 
many whom England is pleased to honor, are buried. 

Giving a fee to a man in a long black gown and skull 
cap, he conducts us into the chapel of Edward the Con- 
fessor, and points to two great oak chairs. In the one 
with the stone seat all of the sovereigns of England, 
from Edward IV. to Victoria, have received the crown. 
The other chair was made for the double coronation 
of William and Mary. To describe the nine chapels 
which compose the east end of Westminster Abbey 
would be impossible. In them are buried more than 
twenty of England's dead kings and queens, and they 
are crowded with the graves and monuments of royal 
families. Over some are still hanging faded and tat- 
tered canopies of silk and gold. Occasionally we came 
to arches and doors whose style of architecture showed 
they were the remains of a still more ancient edifice. 
Other devices spoke of the time when this museum of 
departed glory was occupied by monks and acolytes, 
when the perfume of censers smoked the dim arches, 
and penances and prayers, austerity and bigotry, 
reigned supreme. 

More than four hundred monuments adorn this 
great edifice, whose extreme length is five hundred 
and thirty feet, and which includes within its irregular 
walls thirteen chapels, beside cloisters, chambers, gal- 
leries, and crypts. The finger of time is defacing its 
choicest sculptures, its columns are crumbling, the 
names are growing dim on its tablets, but it is a grand 
old memorial, linking the j^ast with the present. A 
weight of oppressive solemnity pressed upon us as we 
explored its dim recesses, and made us feel as though 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 37 

walking through the fifth chapter of Genesis, where 
every paragraph ends with " and he died ; " but as we 
emerged into God's beautiful sunlight, Longfellow's 
*^ Psalm of Life " reverted to memory : — 

" Life is real, life is earnest, 

And the grave is not its goal ; 

Dust tliou art, to dust returnest, 

Was not spoken of the soul." 

CITY ROAJ) CHAPEL. 

Wednesday, July 14. If there is one spot in Lon- 
don dearer than any other, one shrine which Meth- 
odists desire most to visit, that place is City Road 
Chapel, and that shrine the grave of John Wesley. 
Taking cabs, our American party went together over 
Blackfriars bridge, up Ludgate hill, through Newgate 
street, with the old frowning prison on one side, and 
the church of St. Sepulchre on the other. In this 
church sleeps John Smith, the " Father of Virginia," 
and John Rogers, the Smithfield martyr, was once its 
vicar. Crossing Smithfield market-j)lace, where the 
fires of persecution consumed so many Protestants, 
and turning to the right, we came to Finsbury Square. 
Two blocks more, and Bunhill Fields was to our left, 
and City Road Chapel on our right. We could not 
be mistaken, for near the entrance to the long, narrow 
yard stood a j^lain, modest obelisk of white marble, on 
which we read, '-'- Sacred to the me7nory of Susannah 
Wesley.^'' Opening the tall iron gate, we walked up 
the yard, in which are several tombstones, surrounded 
by flowers. 

The Chapel is a plain brick building, standing back 
from the street, It was much injured by fire a few 



38 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

months ago, but has undergone thorough repair, and, 
though the outer walls are smoky, like everything in 
London, the interior is neat, fresh, and pleasing. The 
quaint and beautiful ceiling, adorned with silver cher- 
ubs and golden acanthus leaves, has been restored as 
it was when Mr. Wesley looked admiringly up to it. 
The tablets to the memory of the founders of Meth- 
odism have been cleaned and restored to their original 
places on the walls. Those occupying the position of 
honor within the pulpit alcove, are John and Charles 
Wesley, " William De-larFletchere," Richard Watson, 
Adam Clarke, Joseph Benson, Samuel Waddy, Thomas 
Coke, and Jabez Bunting. The old j^ulpit has been 
removed, but the j^latform is the one on which Mr. 
Wesley stood and i:)reached those matchless sermons 
which are models of pulj^it directness, faithfulness, 
and power. Mr. Wesley laid the corner-stone of this 
Chapel April 21, 1777, and preached from the text, 
"According to this time, it shall be said. What hath 
God wrought?" — Num. xxiii. 23. His grave is in 
the rear of the Chapel, occupying the centre of a 
little plot of ground crowded thickly with the graves 
of early Methodists. Adam Clarke lies beside him, 
and one low iron fence encloses both box-like tombs. 
Above that of Mr. Wesley is a small shaft. An Eng- 
lish ivy twines around these graves, and violets, for- 
get-me-nots, laurels, and roses beautify the little in- 
closure. 

We were kindly permitted to enter the parsonage 
adjoining, and see the room in which Mr. Wesley 
breathed his last. It is a small apartment in the sec- 
ond story, 10 by 12 feet, lighted by a single window. 
His portrait, life size, hangs over the mantel. It is 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 39 

without gown and wig, the thin, soft, brown hair fall- 
ing in ripples on the shoulders of the plain, straight 
coat. A tiny closet adjacent, called his study, was 
large enough for a small table, and his chair, in which 
each of us sat for a moment. In his secretary is the 
great teapot of blue and white china used in his tea 
meetings. It is oval, 13J by 9^ inches in diameter, 
and 9^ inches deep. On one side is inscribed : — 

"Be present at our table, Lord, 
Be here, as everywhere, adored ; 
These creatures bless, and grant that we 
May feast in Paradise with thee." 

On the reverse : — 

"We thank thee, Lord, for this our food, 
But more because of Jesu's blood; 
Let manna to our souls be given, 
The ' Bread of Life' sent down from heaven." 

Before leaving the room all knelt while Brother 
Inskip led in a simple, touching prayer. We left the 
place feeling that we had made a deeper consecration, 
and had received a fuller anointing in that room where 
the great and good Wesley exclaimed, " The best of 
all, God is with us," and died in holy triumph. 

BUNHILL FIELDS. 

We next visited Bunhill Fields, the resting-place of 
thousands of Dissenters. Here is the grave of the 
mother of the Wesleys, and, not far from it, the tomb 
of Isaac Watts, the sweet singer whose hymns will 
never die. On the opposite side of the walk is the 
ark-shaped tomb of John Bunyan, Avith his form in 
marble reposing upon the lid. On one side of the 
tomb, in bas-relief, Christian is toiling up the hill 



40 ENGLAND AND THE OKIENT. 

Difficulty, bowed beneath the heavy burden on his 
back ; on the other, he stands erect at the foot of the 
cross, his burden rolling down the hill behind him. 
Near by sleep Fox, the founder of the Friends, John 
Owen, DeFoe, Joseph Hughes, the originator of Bible 
societies, Nasmyth, who inaugurated city missions, 
and a great number whose names are on high. What 
a shout will ascend when these saints whose bodies 
are now resting in the rear of City-Road Chapel and 
in Bunhill Fields, shall return with Christ, and the 
trumpet shall sound that bids them rise from their 
graves to meet their Lord in the air. 

PROGRESS OF THE MEETING AT SURREY CHAPEL. 

Saturday, July 17. The attendance at the after- 
noon services has not been large, though it has increased 
from day to day. Ministers, visitors to the city, and 
ladies, among the most useful and intelligent workers 
in this great moral vineyard, belonging to different 
denominations, have come hungry for full salvation, 
believed, and entered into rest. The six o'clock meet- 
ings have been seasons of refreshing. They have been 
conducted by the members of the company in turn, 
the ladies taking their share in the work. 

The evening services have been largely attended by 
all classes, and full of interest, several poor drunkards 
being converted. There has not been a service during 
the week in which some have not been saved. The 
brethren attended the Primitive Quarterly Conference 
this evening, and Mrs. Inskip took charge of the meet- 
ing. Twenty-five persons testified for Christ, and the 
altar service was one of power, many seeking convert- 
ing or sanctifying grace, among them two policemen. 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 41 

SECOISD SUNDAY IN LONDON. 

July 18. The congregations have been much larger 
to-day than last Sabbath. This morning a singing 
band started out from old Surrey Chapel carrying a 
bell. Taking a circuit of several squares, they would 
stop at a corner, sing " Have you been to Jesus for the 
cleansmg power?" ring the bell, and announce "preach- 
ing by the American Holiness Mission at Surrey Chapel 
this morning ; " go a little further, sto]) and sing again, 
until they came back to the Chapel, quite a crowd 
accompanying them to the services. At the close of 
Mr. Inskip's sermon a motley crowd gathered about 
the i^ulpit. Some 230or men, with torn coats and bat- 
tered faces, seeking pardon, knelt beside Christians 
who had found godliness profitable for all things, and 
were now seeking • to be made pure in heart. We 
knelt by a poor, old woman, who looked as though she 
had not seen soap and water for a long time, the tears 
making white furrows down her blackened cheeks, 
and who said she had not been inside a church since 
she used to come to Surrey Chapel when Mr. Hill was 
living, almost fifty years ago. She had evidently led 
a hard life, her bleared eyes showing the effect of long 
use of beer, and her dress looking as if she had slept 
in the gutter. A handkerchief was given to wipe 
aAvay her tears, and prayer offered in her behalf. A 
bow of promise spanned the cloud, and she went out 
trusting in Christ for pardon and renovation. 

Mr. Wood preached to a large congregation in the 
afternoon. Many were members of the "Salvation 
Army" who flocked to the anxious seats agerly seek- 
ing holiness as indispensable to fit them for their work 



42 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

in the slums of London. Mr. McDonald had a still 
larger congregation at the evening service. The old 
Chapel lost its dinginess in the gaslight with nearly 
two thousand eager faces below, and in the circular 
gallery, intent upon every word of the speaker. It was 
a night of salvation. The meetings are to continue at 
the same hours — afternoon, twilight, and evening — 
as last week. 

CLEOPATKA'S NEEDLE. 

Tuesday, July 20. This morning, Rev. Mr. Senior 
gave the American ladies a delightful ride tlirough 
some of the most beautiful streets and parks of Lon- 
don. Turning to the left after crossing Blackfriars 
bridge, we rode along the Thames embankment, paus- 
ing to view Cleopatra's Needle, an ancient obelisk 
brought with great expense and- difficulty from its 
original site near the temple of On, in Lower Egypt. 
Probably it was standing when Joseph married the 
daughter of Potipherah, priest of On. The Khedive 
of Egypt presented this obelisk to the British govern- 
ment, and a wrought iron, cylindrical vessel was built 
around it as it lay in the sand, and a canal dug to float 
it to the sea. The vessel, with its freight of 180 tons 
of solid stone, came near foundering during a storm 
in the Bay of Biscay, and was abandoned ; but, after 
sixty hours, was picked up by another English steamer, 
and finally towed in safety to London. 

It is a solid block of red granite, polished, and 
carved with three rows of hieroglyphics on each side, 
and is 98^ feet in height, 7 feet 10 inches in width at 
the base, tapering to four feet in width, and terminates 
in a pyramidioii. The atmosphere of London has 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 43 

already defaced the inscriptions on the north side, and 
a coating of heavy varnish has been ai3plied to pre- 
serve it. Archaeologists have deciphered a part of the 
inscriptions, and found that it was one of six obelisks, 
erected during the reign of Thothmes III., the Pha- 
raoh who raised Joseph to honor. It also bears the 
name of Rameses II., who oppressed the children of 
Israel. Compared with this old monument London is 
a modern city. 

HOUSES OF PAELIAMENT. 

Our next stop was at Westminster Palace, or the 
Houses of Parliament. They are an immense group 
of marble buildings, covering eight acres along the 
Thames, and are profusely ornamented with towers 
and statuary. The dial of the tall clock tower has a 
minute-hand eleven feet in length. There are over a 
thousand rooms within these walls, and two miles of 
vestibule and corridor. 

We entered the vestibule of the House of Lords, in 
which are life-size statues of the kings of England, 
commencing with James I. On the broad flight of 
steps at the upper end, we were introduced to Lord 
Benjamin as American ladies. He is called "the 
Amei'ican lord," having formerly practised law in 
Canada. He politely invited us to follow him into the 
Chamber of Lords, where they were holding court, 
the Lord High Chancellor in the chair. All the 
lords were arrayed in long black gowns, and gray 
wigs, tasseled, puffed, and frizzed. The black or au- 
burn hair of the younger men hung beneath the wig 
in the most comical manner. The hall is not so large 
or well lighted as the Senate Chamber in Washington, 



44 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

but is lavishly embellished with oaken carvings, and 
gaily hung with crimson and gold. There are no 
seats for sj^ectators except for the Queen, the Prince 
of Wales, and for the nobility. It was honor enough 
to bestow ujDon common people, and republican ladies, 
to permit them to stand and look upon English lords. 

BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 
Thence we rode past Westminster Abbey, and 
alighted before Buckingham Palace, the city residence 
of Queen Victoria, a great, plain, stone building. If 
the armorial bearings were removed from the roof and 
gate-posts, and a tall smoke-stack added, its exterior 
would not be very unlike many cotton factories in 
New England. We had no permit from the Lord 
Chamberlain to enter. Tall soldiers, in red coats, 
paced back and forth before the entrance, though the 
Queen was at Windsor Castle. 

HYDE PAKK, AKD ALBEET MEMORIAL. 

Our carriage entered Hyde Park at an unfashionable 
hour. Few were riding over its smooth drives, and 
only some children trying their ponies on "Rotten 
Row," a soft road for equestrians, around a small lake. 
We missed the beautiful bridges, the variety of scen- 
ery, the shrubbery and flowers of Central Park, New 
York ; but the grass and trees were magnificent. 
England has a right to be proud of her oaks and 
beeches, and they are as carefully guarded as her 
monuments. 

At Kensington Gardens, adjacent to Hyde Park, is 
the Albert Memorial, the most beautiful monument, 
probably, in the world. The lower corners of the 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 45 

rectangular platform are ornamented with groups of 
statuary, that rej^resent Agriculture, Manufactures, 
Commerce, and Art. Half way up the wide marble 
steps on the four sides, are four more groups, — Eu- 
rope, Asia, Africa, and America. Surmounting the 
platform is a colossal, gilt bronze figure of Albert, the 
Prince Consort, sitting in a gothic i^ortico, elaborately 
adorned with pictures in mosaic of the Queen and 
Royal family. The base of the portico is of white 
Italian marble, on which are carved in life-size bas- 
relief nearly one hundred figures, representing bards 
and sages, historians and artists, from King David 
writing the Psalms, to Morse with the telegraph, and 
Handel with his musical compositions. 

TOWER OF LONDON. 

Feldat, July 23. This morning was devoted to 
visiting "The Tower." After going over London 
bridge, we soon reached a formidable series of fortifi- 
cations on a gentle elevation, close to the north bank 
of the Thames. The Tower proper is the "White 
Tower " built by William the Conqueror, standing in 
the centre of an irregular parallelogram, inclosed by 
twelve other towers. These are encompassed by a 
moat, and the w^hole surrounded by a massive outer 
wall with six towers. After paying a shilling admit- 
tance fee, a warder, in the costume of Henry VH. — 
braided frock, wide white ruff, knee-breeches, long 
hose, and enormous shoe-buckles — conducted us to 
the points of greatest interest. 

We entered at the Middle Tower, which guards the 
main bridge across the moat, and passed the Bloody 
Tower, with its heavy gates and portcullis of rusty 



46 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

spears, pausing long enough to look under the stairs 
where the two sons of Edward IV. were buried after 
being smothered by order of their uncle, Richard III. 
The Horse Armory, adjoining the White Tower, is a 
great military museum, filled with figures clothed in 
armor of various periods, fi'om the leather scales of 
the Normans to the elaborate steel armor inlaid with 
gold of Henry YIII. ; chain mail worn by the cru- 
saders, and plate armor of the seventeenth century. 
One suit of armor, made for Henry VIII. when only 
eighteen years of age, weighs ninety-two jDounds. 
Here are equestrian figures, with horse and rider 
covered with plates of steel ; ancient imi^lements of war; 
armor from India, Burmah, China, and Africa; cannon 
captured at Waterloo ; the cloak in which Gen. Wolfe 
died, and guns taken by him at the battle of Quebec. 

The White Tower is a splendid specimen of Norman 
architecture, with walls fifteen feet thick. The first 
floor contains a strange collection of weajoons, and 
instruments of torture which make one shudder ; the 
block and axe used in beheading state prisoners, and 
the ugly, black mask worn by the headsman. Here 
are shields of elaborate workmanship, bows and arrows 
used by the ancient Britons, blunderbusses and fowl- 
ing-]3ieces, and specimens of fire-arms, used by English 
soldiers from the reign of James II. to the present 
time. An equestrian figure of Queen Bess, robed in 
crimson and ermine, occupies a conspicuous position, 
and gives the name of Queen Elizabeth's Armory to 
this apartment. On the north side we went into a 
cell built in the thickness of the wall, where tradition 
states that Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned. 

In the second story of the White Tower, reached 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 47 

by winding stone stairs, is St. John's Chapel, one of 
the finest specimens of Norman architecture to be 
found in the country. Massive stone columns, with 
diverse capitals united by arches of stone, uphold a 
roof of the same material, all retaining the marks of 
the tool, and united by thick. joints of mortar. In 
this stone chapel many royal marriages have been 
solemnized. The upper story of the White Tower, 
under the lead roof, is used for an arsenal, and con- 
tains an immense store of arms of recent manufacture. 
The ingenuity of the warders has been taxed in arrang- 
ing pistols and bayonets, and the various parts of the 
guns, in quaint and beautiful devices. Here were 
passion-flowers and crown-imperial, and even a river, 
with water-lilies floating upon it, made of these mur- 
derous weapons. 

The walls of some apartments in the Beauchamp 
Tower are covered by rudely carved inscriptions made 
by prisoners. We read : " The more suffering in this 
world the more glory with Christ in the next world ; " 
" A passage perilous maketli a joort pleasant ; " " That 
which is sown in tears is reaped in joy." Ascending 
a narrow, tortuous flight of stone steps we came to 
the room where the youthful Lady Jane Grey was 
imprisoned, and . thence down into the courtyard to 
the spot where she was beheaded: From what a long, 
bloody night England has emerged to her present fair, 
calm noon ! Passing a lot of cannon, captured on 
many battle-fields or taken in naval combat, Mr. 
Wood asked the custodian to show him some taken 
from Captain John Paul Jones. He facetiously replied, 
" We never make much account of being whipped by 
our children." 



48 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Leaving the scenes of blood and symbols of war, 
we went to the Jewel Tower to inspect the ornaments 
and regalia of royalty. In a great cage of burnished 
steel and plate-glass were gold and jewels, valued at 
£3,000,000, or 115,000,000. The crown of her majesty 
Queen Victoria is a cap of purple velvet with bands 
of silver, surmounted by a ball and cross, resplendent 
with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. In the centre 
of the cross is a large sapphire, on the front of the 
crown an enormous heart-shaped ruby, and on the 
band a representation of the great Koh-i-noor diamond 
which is kept elsewhere. The crown of the Prince of 
Wales is of crimson velvet and pure gold, unadorned 
with gems. There are several other crowns, including 
the one made for the small head of Anne Boleyn. 
The Royal Scej^tre and the Rod of Equity, j^laced in 
the right and left hands of the sovereign at corona- 
tion, are of beaten gold set with precious stones. In 
addition to these are other sceptres and crosiers, St. 
Edward's staff, the pointless sword of Mercy and two 
swords of Justice borne before the king or queen on 
the way to coronation ; the anointing vessel and sj^oon, 
and the gold sacramental plate, used on the same 
august occasion. Kings and queens formerly resided 
within the Tower, and it was customary to proceed 
thence to Westminster to receive the crown. 

Returning from these strange scenes, we entered 
into the services of the afternoon with renewed inter- 
est. Never did the promises of the j^recious Bible 
glisten as when the text was announced, "Ye shall 
seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with 
all your heart," and it was stated that over thi^e 
thousand two hundred promises bespangle the word 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 49 

of God. More jewels than belong to the crown of 
England are ours by inheritance, and a crown of life 
by-and-by. 

"I'd rather be the least of them 
Who are the Lord's alone, 
Than wear a royal diadem 
And sit upon a throne." 

LAST SUNDAY AT SUKKEY CHAPEL. 

July 25. At ten o'clock there was an outdoor ser- 
vice in the chapel yard. The little organ was brought 
out, and Mrs. Inskip, Willie McDonald, and Mr. 
Gardner sung from the "Songs of Canaan." A 
strange crowd of people gathered around the in- 
closure ; men with pipes in their mouths or loaded 
with baskets of edibles, women bareheaded, holding 
mugs of beer in their hands or cabbages in their 
aprons, paused to listen to the sweet hymns, and re- 
mained during Rev. George Warner's discourse. His 
capacious lungs, warm, sympathetic heart, and ready 
wit admu-ably fit him for street preaching. Standing 
on a box, gesticulating with his umbrella, he talked for 
half an hour of the love of Christ to guilty men and of 
the freeness of salvation, interspersing his remarks 
with anecdotes that helped to fasten the truth. 

The congregations were very large all day, and the 
gracious power of the Holy Ghost rested upon the 
preachers. The anxious seats were crowded, and 
eternity alone will disclose the results of this day's 
work for God and humanity. Among the converts in 
the evening were five abandoned girls (on our return 
from India we learned that they had joined class, ob- 
tained respectable emj)loyment, and were living for 



50 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Christ). It was impossible to close tlie meeting until 
a late hour. Over, and over again, the vast congrega- 
tion sang the old English doxology. 

MADAME TUSSAUD'S HISTOEICAL GALLERY. 

Monday, July 26. The beautiful halls of Madame 
Tussaud, a Swiss artist, are located on Baker Street, 
near Regent Park and the Zoological Gardens, and 
easily reached by under-ground railroad. Admission, 
one shilling^. In this finest collection of wax fio-ures 
in the world one is introduced to the kings and queens 
of Europe, the royal family of England, her dead 
sovereigns, dead and living nobles, statesmen, generals, 
artists and divines. Some are sitting, some standing, 
and some reclining. There is a naturalness in the 
pose of each which makes the scene wonderfully life- 
like, and some of the figures are movable. Our Wash- 
ington, Lincoln, Franklin, and Grant seem at home 
among the crowned heads. John Wesley sits in a 
high chair on a platform, with arms extended, as if 
ready to say, " Little children, love one another." 

The Napoleon Gallery is worthy a visit. Here are 
statues of the first ISTapoleon, Josephine in her imperial 
costume, Madame Mere and the brothers of the great 
general, Napoleon HI., the Empress Eugenie, the Prince 
Imperial, Marshal Ney, and many more. The old mili- 
tary carriage used by Napoleon, his camp equipage, 
clothing worn at St. Helena ; flags and paintings, and 
relics innumerable are crowded into this room. 

The " Chamber of Horrors " contains a strange col- 
lection, which we did not care to pause long to inspect : 
the figures of fifty murderers, a model of the French 
Bastile and the guillotine, and also the original instru- 



ONE HUNDKED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 51 

ment, knife and all, that decapitated Louis XYI. and 
his beautiful queen and twenty-two thousand persons 
during the bloody days of the French revolution. 
Near it hangs the great iron key to the 2)rincipal door 
of the Bastile. 

LAST SERVICE IN LONDON. 

Mo:n^day Evening. The close of the forty-two ser- 
vices in Surrey Chapel resembled a love-feast at a 
N^ational Camp-meeting. More than a hundred per- 
sons testified to having found pardon or purity during 
the progress of the meeting. Primitive and Wesleyan 
preachers, captains and soldiers of the "Salvation 
Army," Baptists, Friends, Congregationalists, Plym- 
outh Brethren, members of the Church of England, 
reclaimed drunkards and prostitutes, young and old, 
rich and poor, sj)oke of the love of Jesus burning in 
their souls. 

Dr. M'Kechnie said : " I feel as though I could not 
have this meeting close without speaking of the great 
good that has resulted from these services. On our 
first meeting I felt my soul mingle with these brethren. 
I wish to testify that these meetings have been a great 
blessing to myself. I have been enabled to take a 
firmer hold on God than ever before. My heart is at 
one in the great work in which they are engaged, and 
at one in the chief points which they present as essen- 
tial to this experience ; sacrificing self, laying all upon 
the altar, a full surrender, faith, and abiding in Christ. 
God has been pleased to place me at the head of one 
of the branches of his church, and I want to say that 
you will find the great body of our connection in sym- 
pathy with you. This meeting has been a great, a 



52 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

glorious success. The Lord go with you ; He will go 
with you around the world proclaiming holiness as 
possible for every one that believeth." 

These words were sjDoken with such earnestness and 
emotion as thrilled the audience and awoke frequent 
response. Though the hour was late, Mr. Inskip, ever 
on the watch for souls, once more, before he and his 
fellow-laborers closed their work at Surrey Chapel, 
invited those forward who desired pardon or purity. 
Again the front forms were crowded, and some very 
interesting cases of conversion and of sanctification 
took place. At half-past ten o'clock, amid the shout 
of new-born souls, the glad smiles on faces that beamed 
with new-found rest in Christ, and the benedictions of 
hundreds of warm-hearted Christians, closed our first 
meeting in England. 

FAREWELL TO LONDON. 

Tuesday, July 27. At 12 m. our company took the 
cars at St. Pancras Station, by the Midland Road, for 
Derbyshire, to rest two or three days before commenc- 
ing the next meeting. 

We have seen enough of London to know it is very 
large, as large as Boston, N'ew York, Philadelphia, 
Baltimore, and Washington united. It is built en- 
tirely of brick and stone, there being no wooden 
houses in England. The buildings look as though 
they were designed to stand forever, but neither brick, 
stone, nor marble will endure many centuries in this 
moist climate, and new buildings soon lose their fresh- 
ness in the smoke and fog. The city abounds in parks 
and monuments. The streets, though narrow and 
irregular, are well paved and clean, and are crowded 



1 



ONE HUNDEED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 53 

with an amusing variety of vehicles drawn by horses 
great and small, mules, ponies and donkeys. Although 
London covers one hundred and fifty square miles, its 
omnibuses, cabs, hansoms, tramways, and railroads 
make it the easiest city in the world to traverse. One 
can go through it, over it, or under it, in any direc- 
tion, at very cheaj) fare. London is as far north as 
Labrador, but, owing to the climatic effects of the 
Gulf Stream, its average temperature is the same as 
New York. The latter city has greater extremes of 
heat and cold, and the death-rate of London is less 
than that of New York notwithstanding its hard water, 
sluggish Thames, and drizzle and fog. 

MATLOCK BANK, DEKBTSHIEE. 

Thuesday, July 29. We arrived at this pictur- 
esque retreat at four o'clock, Tuesday afternoon, and 
are resting a few days at the Jackson House, a plain 
country hotel and sanitarium. The view from its 
square tower and wide balconies is beautiful, Matlock 
being in the centre of England, and the scenery some 
of the finest in the country. 

Bounding our view to the north and east are two 
mountains, about a thousand feet high. Both are cul- 
tivated to the very top, and divided into small fields 
by well-trimmed hedges. On the summit of one is a 
long, rambling stone castle, with large, square towers 
at each end of the main building, and smaller ones at 
the extremes of the two wings, giving it the appear- 
ance of a fortress guarding the beautiful Matlock 
Dale. There is a slight valley between the mountain 
and a great cliff called " High Tor," which is the glory 
of Matlock. It lifts a bold, semicircular front of 



54 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

naked limestone to a height of more than 400 feet 
above the rushing, bubbling Derwent. On the oppo- 
site side of the river is another steep cliff, called the 
" Heights of Abraham." This is set with small stone 
dwellings, and tiny gardens, that look as if dug into 
the precipitous bank. Its top is covered Avith pines, 
and beyond it rises Masson Hill, from whence the val- 
ley of the Derwent may be seen for many miles. The 
appearance of these cliffs, and the rapid river, broken 
by cascades, indicate that in the ages long ago, before 
man dwelt upon the earth, a mightier hand, with a 
more powerful rod than that of Moses, smote the 
great limestone rock ; it cleft asunder, and the clear, 
sparkling Derwent has rushed through the rift ever 
since. 

Our hillside is called " Matlock Bank," and is cov- 
ered as thickly with dwellings as an apple-tree with 
blossoms in May. These houses are of stone, with a 
variety of roofing. Some have red tiles, some roofed 
with slate, others with slabs of stone, but the majority 
are thatch, a foot thick, and often so old that green 
grass and flowers are growing on them. 

MALTON. 

Feiday, July 30. After resting two days at Mat- 
lock, in the romantic Peak district of Derbyshire, 
during which it rained constantly, we proceeded to 
Malton, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, where we 
have accepted an invitation to hold a meeting in the 
Wesleyan Chapel. 

This is a closely-built English market town of about 
15,000 inhabitants, and is supposed to be the ancient 
Camelodunum, a military station of the Romans. 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 55 

Several malt houses give employment to a large pro- 
portion of the population, hence the name Malton, 
or Malt-town. The streets are narrow and clean. 
Though it is located on the banks of the Derwent, 
there is little fog, and the atmosphere is far more in- 
vigorating than in London. The suburbs of the town 
are fine. Beautiful stone villas dot the hillside or ter- 
race, each house being surrounded by smoothly-shaven 
lawns and well-kept flower-gardens, enclosed by hedges 
of thorn and holly. Back of the terrace are green 
fields and a pleasant, rolling country. 

FIEST sum) AY m MALTON. 

August 1. The Wesleyan Chapel, though eighty- 
seven years old, is as fresh and beautiful as if dedi- 
cated last year ; the style, however, is antiquated. 
The people shut themselves in high pews, the pulpit is 
perched twelve feet above, and yet lacks as many feet 
of reaching the altitude of the upper tier of seats in 
the broad, semicircular gallery. Half the audience are 
above and half below the preacher. The organ and 
choir are back of and above the pulpit. Long, nar- 
row, winding stairs ascend on either side of the chan- 
cel, to the pulpit and choir. 

Mr. Inskip looked dubiously at the stairs this morn- 
ing, but if he stood on the low^ platform within the 
chancel rail, he would, at best, be heard and not seen 
by the upper half of his audience. Courageously 
ascending the fourteen steps, and opening the door, he 
stood within the high pulpit, only his head and shoul- 
ders visible, the broad shoulders nearly touching either 
side, looking like a Christian martyr in a pillory, a 
picture of cheerful resignation. Llis sermon from 



56 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

1 Thess. V. 23, "The very God of peace sanctify you 
wholly," was followed by an invitation to come to the 
altar, when a good number of Yorkshire Christians 
showed they were not afraid of going forAvard for 
prayers. The discourses of his associates in the after- 
noon and evening were on the same theme, and many 
sought definitely for a clean heart. 

PROGRESS OF THE WORK IN MALTON. 

Monday, August 9. There have been three ser- 
vices each day. The morning and afternoon meetings 
have been reasonably attended, while the evening ser- 
vices have been crowded with an attentive, quiet, and 
tearful audience. 

Mr. Inskip preached with unusual solidity and j^ower 
on Tuesday evening. The Lord owned the word of 
His servant, and nearly or quite one hundred persons 
sought Christ as their Redeemer or Sanctifier. At the 
first invitation, the altar was so crowded that all who 
were in the enjoyment of heart purity were requested 
to leave the chancel-rail, to give room to those seeking 
the experience. After a season of surrender and 
prayer, forty rose, testifying to full redemption. Such 
solemnity rested upon the large congregation, that the 
brethren were constrained, instead of pronouncing the 
benediction, to invite those who had not been forward, 
but felt their need of a Saviour, to come to the altar. 
Again it was crowded, now mostly with convicted 
sinners, and for a half-hour the tide of salvation swept 
around that chancel in wonderful power. 

Wednesday was a blessed day ; at every service the 
Lord was present to wound and to heal. Thursday 
afternoon Mr. Wood j^reached from 1 John i. 9 : " If 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 57 

we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive 
us our sins, and to- cleanse us from all unrighteous- 
ness." The breath of the risen Lord was ujDon the 
people. We could almost hear his voice saying, " Re- 
ceive ye the Holy Ghost." Many of God's dear chil- 
dren then and there received the baptism. At the 
evening service Mr. McDonald took for his text, " Put 
on thy strength, O Zion," and preached one of his 
most searching sermons. The superintendent of the 
circuit, Mr. Edman, was constantly on the watch for 
souls. His ministerial associates were blessed them- 
selves, and seconded every effort to press the j^eople 
to a definite experience. 

Saturday being market day, there was no service 
this morning, but the afternoon meeting was unusually 
large, notwithstanding a cold, heavy rain, which drove 
the market people from their stalls and shoj^s to the 
meeting. Many were saved. One local preacher, a 
builder, came thirty miles to buy material for his busi- 
ness, saw hand-bills about town relating to a holiness 
meeting led by some men from America, and came 
in to find Mr. McDonald giving an exposition of the 
first chapter of 1 John. He once enjoyed and preached 
full salvation, but became engrossed in business and 
lost the experience. He availed himself of the oppor- 
tunity to renew his consecration, and received Christ 
as his sanctifier. His experience thrilled the audience 
as he bade them good-by and left before the close of 
the service to take the train for home, there to " stand 
up," as he said, "for sanctifi cation, Hallelujah!" 

We miss Mrs. Inskip from the meetings, as she is 
suffering from bronchitis, a very common disease in 
England, being induced by the moist climate and sud- 



58 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

den changes. On Sunday the rain did not prevent 
the house being filled and crammed. In the evening 
at least five hundred persons rose desiring the experi- 
ence of heart-purity, but it was impossible to invite 
any to the altar until those who were not seekers were 
dismissed ; then those who were hungering and thirst- 
ing after righteousness came forward. The chancel 
was surrounded by j^enitent sinners of all ages, from 
the hoary head to the lad of twelve years, aud the 
benches that had been brought in and ten pews were 
filled with seekers of purity. We think it safe to say 
that at least one hundred were converted or sanctified 
during the day. The company being much worn with 
their labors, services are to be held only afternoon and 
evening during this week. 

CASTLE HOWARD. 

Wednesday, Aug. 11. We were invited this morn- 
ing to visit Castle Howard, six miles distant. The 
Howard family, to which the Earl of Carlisle belongs, 
ranks among the nobility of England next to the royal 
household. Castle Howard has long been a favorite 
resort of nobility, and is considered one of the finest 
aristocratic residences in England. It is in the centre 
of an estate of sixteen thousand acres ; and the' park 
surrounding the castle contains several hundred .acres, 
enclosed by a heavy wall overhung with ivy and wood- 
bine. 

The drive through the park was beautiful. A herd 
of three hundred deer was feeding on the plain to the 
right of the carriage road, while to the left rejDosed a 
lake two miles in circumference. Along the shore was 
a large drove of Yorkshire cattle. For half a mile the 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 59 

road passed between double rows of majestic beech 
trees, whose branches formed an arch over our heads. 
At the top of the hill is an obelisk of gray stone sixty- 
five feet in height, erected by Charles Howard, third 
Earl of Carlisle, to commemorate the old castle which 
stood on this spot and the completion of the present 
castle in 1713. Passing onward to the left of the 
monument, Castle Howard came into full view. We 
drove up to the western entrance. The south wing is 
a large chapel with stained-glass windows, and the 
north wing for the use of the servants, containing 
kitchen, laundry, etc. The main building is two 
stories high and surmounted by a dome. Ascending 
the broad steps, our ring was answered by the steward, 
a fine-looking, elderly gentleman, lordly enough in 
appearance to be the earl himself. He was very polite 
to our American party, and took us through twenty 
rooms on the first floor, describing, explaining, and 
patiently answering the questions which Yankees 
know how to propound. The family was absent. 
The present earl is a lunatic, and, instead of enjoying 
his estate, is confined in an asylum. His brother. 
Lord Howard, occupies the castle when not in London. 
We were first ushered into the large rotunda under 
the dome. The sides of the room were of marble. 
Busts of ancient Roman governors lined the walls. 
Over the broad fire-place was a painting of Yulcan, by 
Titian. The concavity of the dome was adorned by a 
picture representing the "Fall of Fate." Turning to 
the left, we passed cabinets filled with porcelain, glass, 
and plate. We had never seen such a display of porce- 
lain save at the Centennial Exposition in Philadel- 
phia. Some large vases would repay an hour of study, 



60 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

but we hastened on through room after room adorned 
with paintings from Rubens, Titian, Reynolds, and 
many others, for these rooms are said to contain some 
of the finest paintings in England. 

In a beautiful breakfast-room which fronts the east, 
and whose walls are covered with rose-colored satm, 
are two pictures, which for nicety and detail excel 
any that we have seen on these subjects, "The Nativ- 
ity" and the "Adoration of the Wise Men." The 
latter is four hundred years old, and yet the colors 
are as fresh and the tints as perfect as though they 
were just laid on. Beside the mantel hangs a pair of 
pheasants so perfect in execution that it seems as 
though a breath of air would blow the loose feathers 
about the apartment. 

The walls in the next room are hung with white silk 
brocade, and the whole furnishing is of exquisite 
beauty, the chairs and sofas being inlaid mth pearl. 
The drawing-room was hung with blue moire antique. 
Carpet, vases, and furniture matched in color. In 
this room was the rarest j^ainting of the whole collec- 
tion. It was the work of Annibale Carracci, an 
Italian artist, and cost thirty thousand 2)ounds ster- 
ling (1150,000). How shall I describe this picture, 
which brought tears to our eyes, and before which we 
would gladly have tarried for hours? It is called 
" The Three Marys." In the foreground lies the body 
of the crucified ' Saviour, every muscle relaxed, the 
arms hanging limp by his side. Mary, the mother of 
Jesus, sup23orts his head in her arms, but, while gazing 
on that face that had been the sunshine of her life for 
three and thirty years, now pallid in death, the sword 
pierces through her soul, and her eyes close over un- 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 61 

shed tears in helpless agony. St. Ann, the reputed 
mother of the Virgin, appears with hands outstretched 
to take her daughter to her bosom, and soothe her 
sorrow, as in the days of childhood. There is a 
look of tenderness on the aged face, a commingling 
of sadness and joy ; spnpathy, such as only a mother 
can feel for her child, and yet, as though her thoughts 
bridged the three days, and were even now rejoicing 
in the resurrection morning, soon to dawn. Mary 
Magdalene kneels at the feet of the Lord, and her 
streaming eyes speak volumes of the love that burns 
in her soul. Her hands are raised in adoration, while 
the half-parted lips seem to say, " My Lord and my 
God." Mary, the mother of James and John, looks 
up at St. Ann in strange surprise, as if asking, " Where- 
fore art thou come? When the rocks rent, a few 
hours ago, camest thou from thy tomb ? Oh, tell me 
what shall be the end of all these things ? " The 
hands of each of this sad, loving group are so perfect, 
that we instinctively felt that we could and must 
touch them, and almost exj^ected to see them move. 
We turned from the picture when the steward closed 
the case in which it is kept, feeling that we had been 
carried back eighteen hundred and fifty years, and 
placed on Calvary at the saddest twilight hour in the 
history of the world. 

The walls of the next room were hung with tap- 
estry, real silk needle-work on canvas, the four sides 
of the parlor representing the four seasons. The win- 
dows in all these rooms were long and low, opening on 
a wide veranda, before which lay a beautiful lawn, soft 
and smooth as velvet, a large fountain in the centre, 
garden seats, beds of choice flowers, and clusters of 



62 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

rare foliage plants, disposed in grace and beauty, so 
that it was difficult to tell which were the lovelier, the 
beauties within or those without. The south side of 
the main building contained the billiard-room and the 
ball-room, the floor of the latter being so highly pol- 
ished that it was like standing on ice. 

The library contained many thousands of volumes, 
bound in morocco and gold, and was scattered through 
the rooms, in large and small cases of English oak. 
The garden on the south side of the castle was, if 
possible, more beautiful than that at the east, and was 
arranged in entirely different style. A large wild 
boar, carved in granite, looked just ready to spring 
from his flowery covert. The mausoleum of the 
Howards occupies an eminence at a little distance 
from the castle. It is built in the Roman style of ar- 
chitecture, and looks more like a fine observatory than 
a place for sepulture. We are 23leased to learn that 
the park is freely opened for picnic parties and excur- 
sions of the common people. 

CLOSma SEKYICE AT MALTON. 

The services at Malton closed with a love-feast tliis 
evening. We counted eighty short, sweet, clear testi- 
monies, and seventy persons rose who had not time to 
speak of the blessing that had come to their souls 
during the twenty-eight services held by the Ameri- 
cans. The Good Templars gave them a vote of thanks 
for the stand they had taken on the beer question, and 
sent a request for them to remain two days longer, 
and push the battle, in the interest of the temperance 
cause. This they would gladly have done, had they 
not needed to husband their strength for the next 



ONE HUNDKED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 63 

meeting, at Leeds. To speak against beer-drinking in 
Malton required the courage of a Putnam in entering 
the den of the wolf ; but holiness makes men fearless 
of everything but sin. 

LEEDS. 

Saturday, August 14. Bidding a large number of 
friends good-by at the railroad station yesterday, we 
left Malton for Leeds, distant fifty-two miles. We 
passed York, with its granite walls, ruined abbey, and 
stately minster, and, arriving in Leeds, were welcomed 
by Mr. Woolley, of the Wesleyan Church, and Mr. 
Beckworth, of the Primitives, who conducted us to 
Beecroft's Park Square Hotel, a well-conducted tem- 
perance house, where we are made to feel very much 
at home, 

Leeds is the largest town in Yorkshire, having a 
poj^ulation of 325,000, but it is not a city. In Eng- 
lish parlance, a cathedral and a bishop constitute a 
city, and not an incorj^orated town, governed by 
mayor and common council. There are only twenty- 
seven cities in England and Wales. This town is on 
the river Aire, a branch of the Humber, in the West 
Riding, which is the centre of the woollen manufac- 
tures of the county. It is well built, with wide 
streets, many fine churches, a magnificent city haU, 
and the best public school buildings we have seen in 
England. It would be a beautiful place were it not 
for the smoke, which hangs like a pall over it from 
Monday morning till Saturday night, and blackens its 
costly buildings, making everything look as though 
approaching the blackness of darkness forever. 



64 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

FIEST SUNDAY IN LEEDS. 

August 16. The Americans were welcomed by a 
tea meeting Saturday evening, and yesterday com- 
menced a series of meetings in Belle Vue Primitive 
Methodist Chapel. [All dissenting churches are called 
chapels, the word church being appropriated by the 
Church of England.] This Chapel is new, modern, 
and delightfully located on a hill, outside the smoke 
and noise. Like all Methodist churches in this coun- 
try, it is one of several which constitute a circuit, 
under the care of a superintendent and one or more 
assistants, who are regular, ordained itinerant preach- 
ers, but having under them a number of local preach- 
ers, who supply the pulpits of large and small chapels, 
at regular intervals. The local preachers of England 
are a very numerous and efficient body of men, who 
do a great amount of work without salary, and are of 
all ages, from the boy of sixteen to the gray-haired 
veteran. 

The meeting ojDened well, — a fine congregation, 
many hungering for full salvation, and ready to com- 
ply with the invitation to seek it now. Rev. Dansy 
Sheen, the Superintendent, was ill with bronchitis, but 
Rev. Mr. Parkin, his associate, and Mr. Beckworth, a 
counsellor of the town, and a prominent business man, 
active in church and temperance work, were present 
to assist in the meetings. 

KIRKSTALL ABBEY. 

Wednesday, August 18. Through the kindness of 
Mrs. Beckworth, we enjoyed a ride of three miles, 
and a visit to the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, one of the 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 65 

largest and most picturesque remains of mediaeval 
architecture, delightfully situated in an expanse of 
rich meadow and pasture, with the beautiful Aire 
flowing along the rear of the grounds, to furnish trout 
for Fridays and fast-days to the old Cistercian monks 
who, from A. D. 1147 to 1540, feasted and fasted, 
wrote and studied within these old gray walls, now 
roofless and overhung with ivy. A tall tree is grow- 
ing in the centre of the kitchen, flowers and shrub- 
bery occuj^y the chapter-house, where Bibles and man- 
uscrii^ts were copied, and everything speaks of kindly 
nature covering up the ruins of time. If all the Cis- 
tercian monks possessed the spirit of St. Bernard, we 
would drop a tear to their memory before leaving the 
burying-ground within the Abbey walls. Few of 
these worshippers of Mary could say, in the sweet 
words of Bernard of Clair veux : — 

" Jesus, the very thought of Thee 
With sweetness fills my breast ; 
But sweeter far Thy face to see, 
And in Thy presence rest." 

CLOSING SERYICES AT BELLE VUE CHAPEL. 
Sunday, August 22. There were two services each 
day during the past week, a noon prayer-meeting in 
the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association, 
and preaching at Belle Yue Chapel at night. The 
large congregations, and the interest of last Sabbath, 
were maintained through the week with deepening 
spirituality in the church, and awakening among the 
imconverted. Many Congregationalists, Baptists, and 
Wesleyans found that perfect love which casteth out 
fear. 



66 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

To-day has been a blessed day in Zion. The after 
meetings have been crowded with those who were 
anxious for salvation. Boys and girls, young men 
and maidens, and those w^ho had long resisted the 
strivings of the Spirit, yielded their hearts to God. 
Though the service commenced at six o'clock this 
evening, it could not be closed before ten, and even 
then some remained, unwilling to dej^art until the 
peace of Christ pervaded their restless spirits. Among 
them Avas a Unitarian lady, whose pleadings with her 
long-desjiised Saviour were not in vain. She rose 
from the chancel when nearly all the lights had been 
extinguished, murmuring, " He made 'his soul an offer- 
ing for sin.' I see it, I see it ; I never saw it before." 

ST. PETER'S WESLEYAN CHAPEL. 

Monday, Aug. 23. Our meetings have been trans- 
ferred from the beautiful but crowded Belle Vue 
Chapel to this great old chaj^el which has seating 
capacity for twenty-five hundred persons. The pews 
are large enough for bed-rooms, and have a receptacle 
for books, with lock and key, that would hold a fair- 
sized wardrobe. There are hooks in the pews to hang 
up the hats, and seats on two sides. The rostrum, or 
pulpit platform, is ample to hold a small conference. 
It is a grand place for a revival, not only because of 
its size, but for its historical associations. Almost on 
this very spot, in August, 1769, one hundred and 
eleven years ago, Joseph Pilmour and Richard Board- 
man were appointed by the conference here convened 
the first Methodist missionaries to America. 

The meeting this evening commenced where it 
ended last night, full of spirit and power. The old 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 67 

organ pealed forth the notes of full salvation (this 
organ, when the present chapel was corajDleted in 
1834, was the third in size in the kingdom). The 
choir had been baptized with the Holy Ghost at Belle 
Vue, and oh, how English Methodists thus inspired 
can sing ! The great circular gallery echoed wdth : — 

" Tell the world, all the world, 
There is cleansmg in the Saviour's blood." 

PEOGEESS OF THE WOEK m LEEDS. 

MoxDAY, Aug. 30. Saturday afternoon was very 
rainy, but Mrs. Inskip and Mrs. McDonald held a large 
and interesting mothers' meeting. God blessed it to the 
salvation of some who were mothers only in name, ale 
and beer having rendered their children worse than 
motherless. Several young ladies sought heart-purity, 
and all ages, from the aged grandmother to the little 
daughter, were brought into closer communion with 
Jesus. 

Sunday was a day long to be remembered for the 
manifestation of the glory of God in the salvation of 
all classes. Rev. Mr. Walmsley, the superintendent 
of the circuit, received a mighty baptism, and called 
for the singing band to meet him at a distance from 
the chapel a half hour before the evening service. 
When we reached the gate of the chapel yard at 6 p. m., 
we saw this devoted Wesleyan minister at the head of 
a band of working Christians coming toward the house 
of worship, singing, " There is a fountain filled with 
blood." A mixed multitude followed them into the 
chapel. Every seat was filled even to the sixth tier in 
the gallery. 

This (Monday) evening a strong detachment of the 



6S ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Salvation Army sung through the streets in the same 
manner, and brought in a good number. When we 
went to the chancel we found it and the front j^ews 
crowded with all classes. Distinctions of class, so 
strong in England, were for the time forgotten. Kneel- 
ing there, seeking converting or sanctifying grace, were 
young and j^romising i)reachers, ladies of wealth and 
culture, women with tattered aprons and coarse shawls 
flung over tangled hair, men who w^ere steeped in 
whiskey and beer, the butcher in his frock, and the 
enthusiastic members of the Salvation Army, all ap- 
prehending the outj)Ouring of the Spirit, and scores 
going out new creatures in Christ Jesus. Such a 
night of saving power St. Peter's had probably never 
seen. 

A VISIT TO YOKK. 

Tuesday, Aug. 31. We spent the last morning in 
the summer of 1880 in visiting the ancient, walled city 
of York, founded when David was King of Israel, and 
in A. D. 71 made the capital of the then Roman j^rov- 
ince of Britain. Here the Emperor Severus died in 
the year 211, and here Constantine the Great was born 
sixty-one years later. An hour's ride by rail (thirty- 
three miles) brought us to the walls of the city, built 
of granite, thirty feet in height (at some points much 
more), in a j^erfect state of preservation. They are 
bastioned on the outside, battlemented at the top, with 
a walk on the inside about eight feet from the top of 
the battlements. 

Passing through one of the gateways of the wall a 
short walk brings us to Lendal bridge over the river 
Ouse. At the corner of the bridge is a large, old stone 
tower ; looking up the river we see the esplanade at 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 69 

our left, and catch a glimpse of the ruins of St. Mary's 
Abbey ; at our right is the ancient Guildhall and the 
old church of St. Martin's le Grand. Down the river 
is Clifford's Tower, built by William the Conqueror. 
Crossing the bridge and proceeding up the hill, we 
enter the grounds of the Philosophical Society, and, 
first, inspect the gray ruins of the Hospital of St. 
Leonard. In its low chambers are a great number of 
stone coffins, urns, and tablets. 

Remains of the old Roman wall, higher and grayer 
than the present wall, connect the hospital with the 
Multangular Tower, another Roman relic whose ten 
sides are more or less preserved ; and, emerging 
through an aperture in the wall we come to the Mu- 
seum. In it is a large collection of historical and 
geological specimens, among them some fossils of the 
ostrich found near the shores of the l^orth Sea. Here 
we see ancient British coffins hollowed out of trunks 
of trees, quite like Indian canoes, and a palm leaf 
twelve feet in diameter. We next proceed to the 
ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, founded A.D. 1056. The 
principal ruins are those of the Abbey church built of 
white marble ; only the north waU with its eight 
windows and a small portion of the east wall are 
still standing ; the bases of the large columns mark 
out the nave of the immense building, and portions 
of the beautiful foliated capitals lie about the grounds. 
Proceeding down the garden towards the river we 
enter the Roman Museum. Here we find tessellated 
pavements, household articles of glass, brass, and pot- 
tery ; ornaments in gold and silver, and a great num- 
ber of stone coffins, in some of which were casts in" 
plaster, showing that after wrapping the body in a 



70 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

winding sheet and placing it in the stone coffin, lime 
and water were poured in to fill it up. We saw a 
large coil of beautiful brown hair taken from one of 
these lime-covered remains. The jet pins were in it 
as when the young Roman beauty was laid away six- 
teen hundred years ago. Here also were remnants of 
Saxon architecture, Saxon and Roman monuments, 
and household gods. How strange it seemed to wan- 
der among these remnants of buried races! What 
labor and strength were required to carve out of solid 
stone a receptacle for a human body, but hundreds of 
these huge coffins have been dug up in and around 
York. 

Leaving the beautiful gardens attached to the Mu- 
seum, we hastened to the Minster, which is built in the 
form of a cross, 519 feet long, 140 broad and its tran- 
septs 249 feet extending north and south. The west 
front has a tower at each end, 201 feet in height. From 
the corners of the towers just below the finials, life 
size figures of dogs, wolves and wild boars, project 
horizontally into the air, as if ready to pounce upon 
the passer-by. The entrance is adorned in bas-relief 
with sixteen scenes in the life of the Saviour. No 
pews in all this 250 feet of nave, but piled against the 
north wall are hundreds of rush-bottom chairs, which 
have done service in the great concerts that have been 
held here, when from four to five thousand persons 
have been present. At the south end of the nave we 
are arrested by a screen 60 feet long and 23 feet high, 
divided into fifteen compartments ; occupied by full 
^ize figures of English Kings, commencing with Wil- 
liam of Normandy, and ending with Henry VI. 
Above the screen is the great organ with 4540 pipes, 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 71 

the longest of which is thirty-two feet. Whilst we 
are gazing at it, music soft and sweet falls upon our 
ears, it grows louder and deeper, then hushed and ten- 
der. We pass around to the left, and enter the choir 
just at the time for morning service. The choir is 
furnished with pews similar to our churches, and the 
carvings are very beautiful, representing branches of 
thorn with leaves and berries. 

We did not hear the chime of twelve bells in the 
southwest tower, or wait quite long enough for great 
" Peter," weighing twenty-one thousand five hundred 
pounds, in the northwest tower, to give his twelve 
strokes for midday. It is getting late, and we must 
return to Leeds for the afternoon service of the Holi- 
ness Mission, so we fail to visit many j)oints of interest, 
but take a short walk on the walls, descend, and pass 
through Micklegate Bar, the southern entrance to the 
ancient York. Being the chief gate, it was used dur- 
ing the wars of the Roses as the place for exhibiting 
the heads of decapitated traitors. 

What scenes of carnage and of cruelty have been 
witnessed in and around this now quiet inland city. 
How many times it has been besieged by hostile armies, 
and its smoothly-paved streets washed in the blood of 
its citizens. We hardly know whether it has suffered 
more from besieging armies or from internal strifes. 
Roman and Briton first contended for its possession ; 
Caracalla, at the death of Severus, his father, here mur- 
dered twenty thousand of his brother's army, and then 
with his own hand slew Geta in his mother's arms, 
A.D. 212. After the Romans abandoned Britain, in 
448, the Scots reduced York to a heap of ruins. The 
Saxons rebuilt it, but were expelled by King Arthur, 



72 ENGLAND AND THE OKIENT. 

who was slain by his kinsmen, and the Saxons again 
prevailed. In 867 the Danes, after murdering every 
man or boy met in the streets, fired the city. In 1066 
the King of Norway took the city by storm, but was ex- 
pelled by Harold, who in turn lost his life and crown by 
William the Conqueror. The north of England refused 
to submit to the ^N^orman, and York became the ren- 
dezvous of the patriot army ; but, after a siege of six 
months, famine compelled it to surrender. York again 
ran in blood in 1189, when not less than fifteen hun- 
dred Jews fell victims to persecution in this city. 
Time would fail to tell of the battles and sieges in the 
long contests of the rival houses of York and Lan- 
caster. But the past is a matter of history, and York 
in its neatness and quiet afiluence stands a monument 
of the struggles through which England has passed to 
make possible Victoria's peaceful reign. 

CLOSING SERVICES IN LEEDS. 
Thursday, Sept. 2. Mrs. Inskip conducted another 
large and interesting ladies' meeting this afternoon. 
Her direct style of presenting truth and kind, j)er- 
suasive manner is always blest by definite results, and 
more than a hundred ladies knelt in prayer, seeking 
pardon or purity. The forty-second service at Leeds 
closed at St. Peter's this evening with many eloquent 
testimonies to the power of Christ to save and bless 
men in all conditions in life. Rev. Mr. Walmsley's 
address to his local preachers, class-leaders, stewards, 
and Sunday-school teachers, was deeply affecting as he 
called upon them to co-operate with him in teaching, 
preaching, exemplifying, and witnessing to the reality 
of Christian holiness, asking, "Will you do it?" and 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 73 

their strong, decided " Yes, yes ! " resounded through 
the great chapel. 

THE POOR OF ENGLAND AND THE SALVATION 
ARMY. 

In the United States the lines of demarkation be- 
tween the different classes of society are not distinctly 
marked. They shade gradually one into the other, 
and, aside from our foreign population, we have no 
large distinctive poor class. There are 2)lenty of poor 
peoj^le in America, but they or their children may 
become rich. In England there is a large class who 
appear low down in the scale morally, socially, and 
intellectually, being distinct from the great, enterpris- 
ing middle class in style of dress, in dialect, in features, 
and in manner of life ; who seem to have little ambi- 
tion to better their condition, and it is difficult to 
brino' them under relioious influences. Much has 
been done to encourage cleanliness and taste among 
them. In many places " cottage fairs " are held, when 
all the cottages are visited, and those who make the 
best bread, have the neatest kitchen, the 23rettiest 
flowers, and the cleanest children, receive prizes. 
Mission schools and mission preaching places and tem- 
perance societies have been organized, but these 
agencies have touched, comparatively, but few. They 
are a power because of their number, and their undis- 
ciplined but dogged fearlessness makes them a terror 
when roused in opposition to any measure. In some 
instances they have compelled Parliament to repeal, 
or have prevented it from passing, bills obnoxious to 
them. 

The Wesleyan movement reached a large number, 



74 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

and lifted them into a higher strata of society, and so 
Methodism became identified mostly with the middle 
class. Then God raised uj) the Primitives to work 
among the lower class, gradually left by the Wesleyans. 
Religion lifts all it touches, and the Primitive Method- 
ist Church, in its turn, has become largely a church of 
the middle class. Now God has called out the " Sal- 
vation Army," and their peculiar mode of warfare is 
stirring the masses in this lower strata as they have 
not been stirred since the days of Wesley. 

The motto of the " Army " is, " Be clean and useful." 
They teach holiness clearly and exjolicitly ; and to be 
entirely sanctified is an indispensable qualification for 
an efiicient " soldier." All who are converted are ex- 
l^ected to join the effective ranks. Wliile only their 
officers give themselves to this work to the exclusion 
of secular duties, all are to be ready when their daily 
or weekly task is done to sing or pray in the streets, 
the market-places, on the quays, or anywhere a crowd 
can be collected. Some of their hymns may be doggerel, 
but the masses can understand them. Thousands have 
been saved through these unlearned men and women, 
many of whom plead eloquently for Christ and sal- 
vation. Much of their preaching has the power of the 
Holy Ghost in it. They are as regularly organized as 
an army, and every man and woman is expected to do 
his or her duty. Their "captains," both men and 
women, are selected as capable and courageous. Mr. 
Booth is the "general" who directs the movements of 
the "Army," and army it literally is, for it numbers 
many thousands, and is destined to be much greater. 
May the^ never settle down into quiet respectability, 
contented to be saved themselves and to keep saved ; 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 75 

but may they continue their aggressive warfare nntil 
this whole great lower strata of society is leavened. 
ISTothing but the religion of Jesus Christ can elevate 
and save the poor of England. The Lord bless the 
Salvation Army. 

HULL. 
Saturday, Sept. 4. A pleasant ride of fifty-one 
miles by rail brought us last evening to Hull, a neat, 
ship-building town, near the confluence of the rivers 
Ouse, Trent, and Hull with the Humber, an arm of 
the North Sea. It is the fourth seaport in England, 
ranking next to Bristol, after London and Liverj^ool, 
and has a population of 240,000. Dissenting chapels 
are numerous, and many of them very fine. There 
was the usual tea meeting this evening, to introduce 
us to the preachers and people, held in the vestry of 
Bourne Chapel, on Anlaby Road, the longest, widest, 
and straio^htest street we have seen in Ena^land. The 
chapel is the largest, and one of the finest belonging 
to the Primitive Methodists, with seating capacity for 
two thousand jDersons. 

AN ENGLISH CEMETERY. 

Tuesday, Sej^t. 7. There is very little of historical 
interest in Hull except the remains of the ancient 
gates of the town. It has two very fine monuments, 
one to William, Prince of Orange, and the other to 
William Wilberforce, who was a native, and for many 
years member of Parliament from Hull. This morn- 
ing we paid our first visit to an English cemetery. 
They are much smaller than in America, where land 
is easily obtained. Most of the land in England is 
owned by a few hundred individuals, and descends 



76 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

from father to eldest son, from generation to genera- 
tion. In some places, land has been thrown into the 
market, and freeholds for building may be obtained, 
but usually the homes of even the wealthier middle 
class are erected on land leased for ninety-nine years. 

This cemetery is laid out very prettily, with trees 
and shrubbery, walks and flower-beds, but no drives 
within the gate. The tall, slender cypress is the favor- 
ite tree for the adornment of cemeteries, and by 
them a cemetery may be distinguished at a distance. 
The family lots are seldom more than six by ten feet, 
inclosed by a granite wall a foot high, with a tall 
headstone- or monument toward the east. Within 
this wall a large grave is dug fifteen feet deep and 
cemented. Whenever a member of the family dies, 
this grave is opened, and the bodies put in, one on top 
of the other, until they nearly approach the surface, 
which is covered with grass and flowers. We saw the 
grave of Rev. Mr. Clowes, who, with Rev. Hugh 
Bourne, was dismissed by the Wesleyans for holding 
camj^-meetings, and thus they became the founders of 
the Primitive Methodist Church, which now numbers 
190,000 members. 

THE FIKST WEEK IN HULL. 

Satueday, Sept. 11. Last Sunday was the warmest 
day of the season, quite like an American July day. 
The attendance was very large in the morning, larger 
still in the afternoon, and at evening the gi'eat chapel 
was packed in every part. Two persons were con- 
verted, and several sanctified, at the close of. the 
morning sermon. The chancel rail was occuj^ied with 
those who sought purity at the close of the afternoon 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 77 

preaching, and in the evening, all the space around 
the large altar was filled with persons seeking conver- 
sion or cleansing. 

The afternoon and evening services during the week 
have been attended by all classes, with blessed results. 
This afternoon, Mrs. Inskip conducted a large and 
interesting meeting for women and children, and this 
evening there was a very precious love-feast, at which 
thirty-five ministers and laymen, beside a few ladies, 
testified clearly and explicitly to having received " the 
blessing of purity " during the week. These were but 
a small number compared to those who rose ready to 
testify, had time permitted. 

THE BOTANICAL GAKDENS. 

Thursday, Sept. 16. We took a walk to the Bo- 
tanical Gardens* this morning. They cover several 
acres, and are arranged for open air concerts. There 
is less variety of shrubbery and flowering plants than 
in similar gardens in the United States, but .beds of 
pansies, heliotrope, mignonette, and other sweet and 
delicate flowers, are the finest we have ever seen. 
Their fragrance fills the air. The rockeries and fern- 
eries are exquisitely lovely, this moist climate being 
well adapted to them. The conservatories are filled 
with beautiful varieties of azaleas, jasmine, begonias, 
calceolarias, and fuchsias. Geraniums do not flourish 
as at home, and dahlias are ordinary, but the asters 
are grand. 

CLOSE OF THE MEETING IN HULL. 

Friday, Sept. 17. By previous arrangement, the 
second week of the meeting was to be held in the 



78 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

large chapel on Great Thornton Street. Tliis was filled 
Sunday morning and afternoon; at the evening ser- 
vice, only those who came early could gain admittance. 
It was a day of saving power. The people siilig, they 
shouted, they rejoiced, they wept. Some clung to the 
communion rail, and would not go till saved. Though 
on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday a cold, drench- 
ing storm raged, the interest of the people was not 
dampened. At every service the house was well 
filled, and each evening more came than could be 
seated. As Bourne Chapel would accommodate five 
hundred more, it was found necessary to return there 
for the closing services. Thursday afternoon, over 
one hundred persons sought pardon or heart-purity. 
Many were wonderfully saved. 

A local j^reacher, eighty years old, said : "For fifty- 
five years, I have been trying to grow pure ; this after- 
noon I stepped into the fountain, and am at once made 
clean." A clergyman of the Established Church, a 
man of fine presence and intellectual strength, rose 
from the chancel rail, and testified that he had grown 
speculative, drifted into Unitarian sentiments, and 
become skeptical ; but he had been taught that after- 
noon that God was his Father, Christ his Saviour, and 
the Holy Ghost his sanctifier. 

It would be difficult to convey any idea of the 
closely-packed audience at the valedictory service on 
Thursday evening, — hundreds strove vainly to force 
an entrance by either the doors at the front or rear, — 
the close, tearful attention given Mr. McDonald, the 
great crowd of penitents that thronged the chancel 
rail and pews for a long way back from the altar, or 
the mighty, soul-saving power that filled the house. 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 79 

The people lingered, as if loath to part. The senior 
preacher, Ilev...George Lamb, spoke sweet words of 
thanksgiving to God, and commendation of the Amer- 
ican brethren. Mr. Robinson, the superintendent of 
the circuit, said: "When these dear brethren arranged 
to come among us, I hoped to receive much good. I 
have felt my own heart made clean, and drawn out in 
love to God and the souls of men. The stones would 
cry out if I did not witness to full sanctification. I 
can never be grateful enough for what God has done 
for me and mine. I have kept a pretty thorough ac- 
count of the various services, and think it safe to say 
that fully one thousand souls have been most blessedly 
saved at these services, either converted, restored 
from a backslidden state, entirely sanctified, or greatly 
quickened in their religious life. I have been learning 
by the direct, incisive style of these brethren how to 
preach, and I know how to conduct a revival better 
than ever before. Brother Inskip's way of inviting 
the people to the altar, ' Come on^ come on^ come on!'* 
will ring in my ears when you are far away in India. 
Now I want to propose a vote of thanks, to be given 
in true English style, and let our American brethren 
see how you can do it." 

After the motion had been put and seconded, the 
clapping of more than two thousand hands made a 
response that could be heard, as well as seen. Wheoi 
Mr. Robinson said that it was proposed to invite 
Messrs. Inskip, McDonald, and Wood to visit us again 
on their return from India, the clapping and amens 
were tremendous. 



80 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

MIDDLESBEOUGH. 

Wednesday, Sept. 29. — Middlesbrough is in tlie 
north of England, near the mouth of the river Tees 
and only a few miles from the North Sea, or " German 
Ocean." The town, though only about fifty years old, 
has a i^opulation of 70,000, and is the centre of exten- 
sive iron and steel works. It is very level and the 
country around it is flooded with water from recent 
heavy rains. Our meetings here are to be held with 
the Wesley ans. The superintendent of this circuit, Mr. 
Swannell, is a cousin of Mr. Inskip on his mother's 
side, and his associate Mr. Pearson, was a Wesley an 
missionary in Calcutta and Lucknow for several years. 
Uj^on reaching the station, so many friends welcomed 
us, whom we had seen at the meeting in Leeds, that 
we felt immediately at home. 

The meeting opened Sunday, the 19th, and has con- 
tinued ten days. Two large chapels have been at 
the disposal of the brethren. It was arranged to hold 
the services during the first week in Centenary Chapel 
in the market-jDlace. This pleasant and commodious 
house was crowded at every service, and so many had 
to go away that Wednesday evening it was decided 
to transfer the meeting to Wesley Chapel. The last 
service at Centenary was a time of melting power. 
Nearly one hundred persons pressed their way through 
the throng to the communion rail and front pews, and 
realized the presence and saving j^ower of the Lord 
Jesus; while u]) in the choir, in the gallery, and 
throughout the house, men and women testified that 
the cleansing blood had reached them. Wesley 
Chapel had previously been opened daily for a noon 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 81 

service of one hour. The attendance, not large at the 
begmning, increased each day until hundreds gathered 
for the midday hour of jDrayer. Ministers of various 
denominations, business men, school teachers and pro- 
fessional men, laborers, and even the jDOor drunkard 
found this short hour one of refreshment and salva- 
tion. A Presbyterian lady who came to the altar said, 
" I am a member of the church, but have been battling 
with the wickedness of my heart half of the time, for 
thirty years, and I know only God's almighty jDower 
can save me." An aged "publican" rose from the 
altar saying, " I have been a poor drunken sinner for 
forty-six years, but Christ has saved me just now." 

Thursday evening being very stormy, we anticipated 
that the great Wesley Chapel would be but sparsely 
occupied. Instead, it was filled above and below, and 
the meeting if possible, took on fresh impetus and 
power. 

On Saturday afternoon, Mrs. Inskip being disabled 
by a return of bronchitis, Mrs. McDonald and the 
writer held a meeting for women and children in the 
two large Sunday-school rooms. It was a blessed sea- 
son. ISTineteen young persons gave their testimony to 
having found Christ as their Saviour at that service, 
and a number of ladies were blessedly sanctified. 

Last Sabbath, the day of Pentecost had fully come. 
Such a day we have not seen in England. The morn- 
ing sermon from the text, " If any man will do His 
will, he shall know of the doctrine," was preached in 
the power of the Holy Ghost. The crowded state of 
the aisles rendered it inexpedient to attempt to invite 
the people forward. The whole house was made an 
altar, hundreds rose asking prayer, then bowed where 



82 ENGLAND AND THE OKIENT. 

they were, to dedicate themselves to God. At three 
o'clock the house was again packed for an experience 
meeting. This was the largest service of the kind we 
had ever attended in a church, and reminded us of a 
National Camp-meeting love-feast in the United States. 
The evening service was announced to commence at 
6.30 p. M. Those persons who arrived before six 
o'clock Avere able to secure seats. After that hour 
every foot of standing-room was occupied in the gal- 
leries, stairs, aisles, doorways, porch, and a large over- 
flow meeting occupied the school rooms. When the 
congregation was dismissed at the close of the sermon, 
the after-meeting was little less crowded, but those in 
earnest for sanctification pressed forward and we 
counted two hundred and forty-seven penitents. 

Monday and Tuesday strangers stopped us on the 
streets to talk about their souls. The proprietors of 
the iron and steel works declared that it was holiness, 
holiness, holiness among the men in their employ and 
" Holiness on the Tees Side " was the caption of the 
leading editorial in one of the secular papers. An en- 
gineer stated in one of the services, that he obtained a 
clean heart "while driving his locomotive." The 
closing service, Tuesday evening, was a time of love, 
sweetness and power. Men and women stood for two 
hours, not a frown upon their faces, but joy that 
strengthened the body and made weariness impossible, 
for the scene of Sunday night was repeated. When 
the invitation was given for those to rise who wished 
to seek the Lord, one man said, " I have been standing 
an hour and a half, but I will hold up my hand ; pray 
for me that I may be saved." 

The farewell words of the superintendent of the 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 83 

circuit, Rev. Mr. Swannell, were uttered with a ten- 
derness and pathos that will linger like precious oint- 
ment, in the memory of the American brethren. Mr. 
Swannell had warmly seconded every effort, and his 
prayers for the penitents at the altar reverberated, 
"the blood, the blood. Lord, apply the blood." Rev. 
Mr. Pearson, associate minister, said that he had re- 
ceived great good, that he had been blessed in heart 
and mind, that having watched the movement, and 
conversed with many who had been converted or 
brought into a higher experience, he knew that what 
might seem but excitement to the superficial observer 
of the altar services, was deep and solid, having been 
preceded by hours and days of self-examination and 
prayer. Most beautifully he commended each of the 
three ministers and their wives to the protection of 
God who is alike on sea and land, and craved that 
life and health may be preserved, and many sheaves 
gathered among the inhabitants of India, where he 
had labored in his early, ministry. 

SOUTHPOKT. 
Friday, Oct. 1. Our ride was a long one across the 
kingdom, from the North Sea to Southport on the 
Irish Sea, whither Mr. and Mrs. Inskip had preceded 
us, the health of the latter not having improved in the 
dampness of the low land of Middlesbrough. A few 
services were held in the Primitive Methodist Chapel 
here with some good results, but Southport is not a 
favorable place for holding a meeting. It is more of 
a pleasure resort and sanitarium than anything else. 
N'otwithstanding the long stretch of beach, the shady 
avenues and boulevards, the great hotels and fine pri- 



84 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

vate mansions, the neatness and beauty of its gardens 
and bazaars, one feels all the time as though in a hos- 
pital. 

Wherever we go invalids confront us; men and 
women with respirators across their mouths, feeble folk 
slowly promenading the wide sidcAvalks or wheeled in 
perambulating chairs, sick boys and girls riding on 
donkeys along the sands, the stubborn little animals 
refusing to move unless forced to do so by the heavy 
cudgels of stout donkey women in short skirts and big 
hoods. The beautiful, the grotesque, and the pathetic 
are all combined in this watering-place. The subject 
of conversation and the order of the day, from morn- 
ing till night, is water — in showers, in steam, in packs, 
and bandages ; water hot and cold, water for every 
ill to which flesh is heir; water, and nothing but 
water. The place seems wholly given to invalidism, 
and one longs to see a crowd hurrying along as though 
they had some life in them, and something to do be- 
side applying water and nursing their ailments. 

LIVERPOOL. 

Satuedat, Oct. 2. We came to Liverpool to-day, 
and shall remain here until we sail for India. The 
steamship Hispania arrived from Bombay last evening, 
and we made her a visit this morning, having engaged 
passage by her to Bombay. The steamer is the new- 
est and largest of the Anchor Line in the Indian ser- 
vice, and has returned in safety from her first voyage 
to the Orient. She is thirty-live hundred tons burden, 
is built to carry a great amount of freight, and will 
accommodate forty passengers, all first-class. The 
regular rate for passage from Liverpool to Bombay is 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 85 

£52 10s., or $260, but there being so large a company 
of us, we have secured tickets for |237 each. Our 
state-rooms or cabins are large and light, and on the 
larboard side of the ship, which will make them cooler 
when passing through the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. 
The Hispania will proceed to Glasgow to unload, and 
return here about the sixteenth. Meanwhile a meet- 
ing will be held in Everton Chapel, Liverpool, belong- 
ing to the Primitives. 

This is a great, wide-awake town, only recently 
made a city, though next to London in population and 
commercial importance. It is on the north bank of 
the Mersey, while Birkenhead occupies the opposite 
shore. The docks of Liverpool are on a stu23endous 
scale, — said to be the finest in the world, — the wet 
and dry docks covering two hundred and thirty acres, 
and the quays extending ten miles. The city has 
some wide streets ; these are called roads (the term 
avenue being seldom used in England) ; but many are 
short and narrow, and others run diagonally, or up 
very steep hills. The public buildings are imposing, 
the statuary in its squares is grand, and its five parks 
have cost an immense sum of money. 

MEETINGS AT EYERTON CHAPEL. 

Sunday, Oct. 17. Everton is in the north of Liver- 
pool, on a hill. The chapel, which will seat one thou- 
sand people, has been filled at every service, and 
sometimes crowded to suffocation. Mr. Travis, super- 
intendent, took the lead in seeking the experience of 
entire sanctification, and his church followed, the 
ofiicial members being among the first to join their 
pastor at the chancel. The Wesleyan and other 



86 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

denominations have j^ai'ticipated in the services, and 
churches in all j^arts of this city have reaped some 
fruit of this ingathering of precious souls. The Sab- 
bath-school scholars and teachers crowded the altar 
of prayer, and we heard it estimated by some best 
acquainted with the j^eople, that not less than five 
hundred persons j^rofessed conversion during the fif- 
teen days of the meeting. Mr. Gardner held two 
deeply interesting meetings for young men, in which 
many were saved. 

LAST DAY IN ENGLAND. 

Monday, Oct. 18. It is now one hundred and one 
days since we landed in England, and we have held 
two hundred and eight public services in seven large 
towns, and witnessed the conversion and sanctification 
of several thousand souls, while many more have been 
refreshed and strengthened in their religious life. 
God has been with us in grace and love, and favored 
our company with usual health, with the exception of 
a bronchial trouble which has disabled Mrs. Inskip for 
a short time toward the close of our work. We have 
been able to respond to but few of the many invita- 
tions received, and have promised to return to Eng- 
land, from India, in the spring, and resume our work 
here for a time. 

The climate of England in the summer is agreeable, 
the heat is seldom oppressive, and the nights so cool 
that blankets are required throughout the season. 
When we first arrived in this country, we were sur- 
prised at the length of the days ; the sun rose before 
four o'clock in the morning and did not set until past 
eight, and the twilight lingered until ten o'clock at 



ONE HUNDRED DAYS IN ENGLAND. 87 

iiio^ht. This was not strano^e when we remembered 
that England is, as ah*eady stated, on a parallel of lati- 
tude as far north as Labrador. Now, in October, the 
programme is changed, and the days resemble Decem- 
ber in the United States, short and cold. We have 
had no snow, but cold rain-storms and high, raw winds. 
The leaves on the trees do not assume the brilliant 
colors of our autumn foliage, but October is emphati- 
cally the time of " the sere and yellow leaf." 

Probably few Americans have enjoyed so good op- 
portunities for studying the religious and home life of 
the English j^eople. We have been entertained, usu- 
ally, by the people among whom we have labored, and 
it has been our privilege to share the hospitality of 
thirty families, and call ujDon many more. In many 
respects we have been delighted with the type of piety 
we have found among the middle class, with whom we 
have been princij^ally associated. The English people 
are slow to move, but when once thoroughly aroused, 
are warm, zealous, and enthusiastic, They are much 
like our Ncav England j^eople, with less pride of in^ 
tellect. 

The husband is the head of the house, and is called 
^^ the master " by the servants, and by his wife, as 
well. It sounded strangely to our republican ears, for 
in America, the command of the Saviour to call no 
man master, -r^^Hor one is your Master, even Christ," -:==■ 
is carried out most literally. The husband, also, some^ 
times speaks of his wife as "the mistress." Family 
government has not been reversed, — the children 
governing their parents, — as is too frequently the case 
in American homes. Children are usually quiet, mod- 
est, and obedient, and we have seen few spoiled chil- 



88 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

clren in England. Though our meetings have been 
crowded with young people, we have never seen any 
whispering, laughing, flirting, or frivolous and disre- 
spectful conduct, but all ages, old and young, rev- 
erence the house of God. 

The English have a somewhat blunt manner of 
speaking, using few superfluous words for the sake of 
politeness, though in the spirit of real politeness, — 
deference for others, and sacrifice of self, — they are 
not deficient. They are slow to adopt improvements, 
for Ave find things in daily use that were discarded 
years ago on the other side of the Atlantic. Labor is 
cheap, therefore labor-saving machines are less used, 
and work is often done the hardest way. Bay win- 
dows are common, and window gardening and lace cur- 
tains make the homes pleasant and attractive, notwith- 
standing the detached character of the rooms, — one 
room seldom opening into another. The unvarying 
kindness and hospitality of the people have made us 
feel at home among them, wherever we have been. 




EngdiyA.HPatcKie B.A- 






FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 89 



CHAPTER III. 

FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 

ASHORE AIND AFLOAT. 

Tuesday, Oct. 19. Yesterday afternoon we bade 
good-by to our kind host, and took the ferry-boat for 
Birkenhead, where the Hispania was lying in Morpeth 
dock. As the steamer was not announced to sail until 
seven o'clock, it was deemed best to stop at Woodside 
Hotel, near the quay. Fifteen of our friends from 
Liverpool came over and took tea with us, bringing 
with them many things for our comfort during the 
long voyage. Soon after tea we all went on ship- 
board, where we found many more friends, waiting 
for another shake of the hand. 

The Hispania, however, did not sail until this morn- 
ing, and we passed a quiet night, lying in the dock. 
At ten o'clock, the last boxes of Manchester prints 
were put on board, and our iron steamer, with her five 
thousand tons of freight, was towed through the great 
gate by a steam-tug, which accompanied her down the 
river to take back the pilot and agent. Rev. J. Travis 
and Mr. Jennings stood on the quay, waving farewell. 

PASSENGERS ON THE HISPANIA. 
Wednesday, Oct. 20. A cold, stiff breeze prevents 
our sitting out on deck, but there is a circular deck- 
house of iron and glass, at the head of the stairs, 



90 ENGLAND AND THE ORrENT. 

where we can sit and watch the waves. The Hispania 
has averaged eleven knots an hour, and has left St. 
George's Channel, passed Land's End, and is now out 
of sight of land, steaming toward the Bay of Biscay. 
The saloon is warmed by steam, and, though small, is 
light and comfortable. The Hispania moves very 
steadily through the water, and her machinery makes 
less jar than that of the Erin. Perhaps this is because 
the saloon and cabins are on the upj^er deck. 

The passenger list is larger than the steamer can 
easily accommodate, there being twenty gentlemen, 
sixteen ladies, and five children, beside their nurses. 
One of the latter is a Hindoo ayah {ire). She is 
short, and round as a barrel, has a little head, covered 
with glossy, black hair, and a swarthy skin ; dresses in 
thin clothing, with only a sack, skirt, and chuddar. 
Her little brown feet are bare, while ours are protected 
by heavy boots and woolen hose; if jewelry would 
keep her warm, she would not lack for comfort, as she 
has four rings in each ear, a jewel in her nose, several 
chains about her neck, and bracelets on her arms. 
She has the charge of three beautiful little boys, who 
are going with their mamma to meet their papa in 
India. They seem quite at home on the ship, with 
their hobby-horses and building-blocks. 

The larger part of our passengers are connected 
with the Indian military or civil service. There is a 
theatrical company, of eight men and women, going 
out to perform in a variety theatre for five months. 
If they can go so far to amuse people for a short time, 
and make a little money, is it strange or unwise for a 
comj^any of Christians to go there to visit and en- 
courage missionai'ieSj and hold a few meetings for the 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 91 

cause of Christ, in tlie interest of precious souls ? The 
text in my " Daily Food " this morning is, " My jDres- 
ence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." 
Three young ladies are going out, one as a medical 
missionary, and the others for zenana teaching among 
the Hindoos. They are sent by the " Indian Female 
Normal School and Instruction Society," — the oldest 
association for the evangelization of Indian women, 
which has now missionaries at fourteen stations, includ- 
ing Bombay. 

A STOEM m THE BAY OF BISCAY. 

Saturday, Oct. 23. Soon after midnight, or early 
Thursday morning, a severe storm commenced, and 
for two days and three nights " no small tempest lay 
upon us." A storm at sea is awfully grand, yet, 
strange to say, it is not promotive of sentiments that 
appreciate the sublime. Our brain is in a whirl with 
a frontal, bursting headache, the appetite is gone, a 
deathly nausea succeeds. The first feeling is one of 
resignation to the inevitable ; the second, we are sure 
we will never live through it ; the third, we wish we 
could die, but we cannot. We roll back and forth in 
our eramped berths, and become so sore that we wish 
they were narrow enough to hold us steady. The ship 
rolls so far to one side we nearly tumble out, though 
the fender is a foot high. 

Our heavy trunk comes "kerchunk" against our 
berth, but as suddenly goes bang against the opposite 
side of the cabin. Everything on the floor is endowed 
with motion; valises, boxes, and boots, make aston- 
ishing speed. We have learned to count the time 
between the waves. It is nearly time for anothei* 



92 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

to strike tlie ship broadside ; we are waiting for her 
to roll and shiver as the water breaks over her, but she 
has changed her course, and, instead, down, do%on 
goes her bow into the trough of the sea. We hear a 
creaking and snapping, and wonder if she has broken 
in two. An iron steamship, however, doesn't break so 
easily. Up comes tlie bow and down goes the stern, 
and no amount of pillows will bring our heads on a 
level with our feet. 

The stewards are trying to set the tables ; we wish 
they wouldn't. What does any one care for food 
in a storm ! Crash ! crash ! a lot of dishes have gone 
to smash. The smell of onions penetrates the cabins, 
and is far from appetizing. We rise and go up into 
the deck-house, and find it filled with a pale, forlorn 
assemblage. We look out on the seething, roaring, 
tumbling ocean. The great waves are at combat. 
They pile up in fury ; they come together, and the sea, 
which is no longer blue, but the darkest, dullest gray, 
is covered with foam. Now a platoon of waves have 
united, and are coming down upon the ship. For a 
moment all is darkness, as they break over the hurri- 
cane-deck, immersing the deck-house in the briny water. 
Our lips taste salt, the air smells of salt, and the win- 
dows are incrusted with salt. The rain increases, the 
waters from above unite with those beneath ; the wind 
moans and whirs and screeches through the rigging ; 
but there is never a storm that is not succeeded by a 
calm. Our heavily-laden ship rode the waves most 
grandly, and not a spar was lost nor a bolt loosened, 
though she made only one hundred and twenty-seven 
miles in twenty-four hours during the fiercest of the 
gale. 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 93 

Saturday. The wind is hushed, the great waves 
have subsided, and the sun shines warm and bright. 
All enjoy sitting on deck, only we are in a great cradle 
that rocks tremendously. There is a swell after a 
storm that keeps the vessel rolling, and, if we do not 
look out, over go our chairs, as did that of a six-foot- 
four-inch major a few moments ago, causing him to 
measure his length on the deck most gracefully. We 
have been forward to see how the shee]) and pigs have 
survived the storm. The sheep are humble-minded, 
and, lying flat as they can, rock with the ship. The 
pigs, true to their nature never to yield, if the vessel 
rolls in one direction are fully set to walk in the other, 
and away they go sprawling in a heap, which makes 
the sickest man on board laugh. The turkeys and 
chickens look rather doleful, but the geese and ducks 
flourish wherever there is plenty of water. 

THE COAST OF POKTUGAL. 

SuN^DAT, Oct. 24. The rolling of the ship ceased at 
evening, the night was comparatively quiet, and we 
slept well. At nine o'clock this morning we came in 
sight of the southwestern coast of Portugal. At ten 
the bell rung, and the passengers assembled in the 
saloon, where Mr. Inskip read a portion of the Episco- 
pal service and delivered a short sermon full of com- 
forting truth. Mr. Wood, in prayer, gratefully 
acknowledged God's providential goodness and care. 

We returned to the deck and enjoyed a delightful 
view of the rock-bound, precipitous coast of Portugal, 
indented with caves by the action of the waves. Cape 
St. Vincent, with its lighthouse and an old nunnery on 
the very extremity of the promontory, looks like the 



94 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

bleakest and most barren plaee which asceticism could 
select. In front of the steep cliff is a rock as large as 
a church looming u^d out of the water like a giant sen- 
tinel guarding the poor nuns from an attack of Nep- 
tune. A little to the east is Cape Sagus, with a signal 
station above its rounded front and a large fortress 
and white barracks in the rear. The fields beyond 
the cliffs are .green, the foliage looks like spring-time, 
and we see white cottages and a small town. The 
air is soft as May, hundreds of porpoises are jumping 
and diving to the right of the steamer, while the sea- 
gulls are flying in great flocks betAveen us and the 
shore. 

GIBRALTAE. 

Mo:n^day, Oct. 25. At seven o'clock this morning 
the Hisj^ania dropped anchor in the beautiful harbor of 
Gibraltar, 1260 miles from Liverpool. The process of 
coaling soon commenced ; and two hundred tons were 
brought on board in baskets holding one hundred- 
weight each, from a great coal-hulk anchored beside 
our ship. The sun rose clear, the day became warm, 
yet not oppressive. Several boats came alongside 
the steamer, loaded with fruit or waiting to take pas- 
sengers ashore for one shilling (twenty-five cents) 
each. We descended into the "Jean Carpello," and 
were rowed across the placid bay to the quaint town. 
British frigates and gunboats, a mail steamer, and 
merchant ships from Glasgow, Hull, Canton, and Italy 
lay in the harbor. Spanish sail-boats, and row-boats 
from Morocco and Algiers flitted about us. 

The harbor and town are on the west side of the 
Rock. Our boatman landed us on some granite steps 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 95 

that seemed only an opening in the batteries which 
skirt the water's edge. Cannon and soldiers con- 
fronted us on all sides. Going through a great stone 
viaduct, we came into an open space where a guard 
of Highlanders in short white hose with plaided tops, 
kilts, and white hats, passed us as we turned to the 
right and entered the fine covered market. Span- 
iards, Portuguese and Moors vied with each other in 
urging us to purchase their fruits, and surely so temj^t- 
ing an array seldom greeted our eyes. Grapes, white, 
red, and purple, in enormous clusters, apjDles, oranges, 
green lemons, pomegranates, figs, green and dried, 
nuts of various kinds, dates, prickly-pears and some 
fruit for which we knew no name, were piled in lavish 
profusion. We purchased grapes at 2^d. (five cents) 
a pound, and oranges for 4d. a dozen. Walking uj) 
one of the streets, monks and slipshod friars, and peo- 
23le of many nationalities blocked the sidewalks which 
were scarcely three feet wide, while the narrow road- 
way with difficulty allowed the heavily laden donkeys 
to pass each other. These animals were loaded with 
kegs of- wine, bundles of wood, panniers of fruit and 
vegetables, etc. ISTearly all the houses are plastered 
on the outside (stuccoed) and painted cream color. 
They are usually three stories in height and have 
wooden outside blinds to the windows, like those at 
home, except that the lower half of the blind projects 
outward like an awning, thus admitting air and giving 
a good view of the street below while they exclude 
the sun. The shops, which are very small, are well 
sujDj^lied with goods of English, Spanish, and Moorish 
manufacture. Loaves of bread made in the shape of 
cigars and satchels, handle included, looked as if tlie 



96 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

desideratum was to obtain tlie greatest possible 
amount of crust. 

Taking a cabriolet for an hour, j^rice four shillings, 
we drove through the gate in the wall which divides 
the promontory, passed the beautiful residence of the 
governor, the cathedral and convent, and battery 
after battery to the Alameda Gardens, where palms, 
palmettos, acacias, century plants and many strange 
shrubs grew beside our dahlias, geraniums and helio- 
trope. The most conspicuous object is a tall monu- 
ment surmounted by a bronze bust of the illustrious 
Elliott, who, for three years withstood the besieging 
allied armies of France and Spain. Great Britain has 
held this imi^regnable stronghold since the peace of 
Utrecht in A.D. 1713. Toward the lower end of the 
l^eninsula are many strong fortifications and some 
lovely i^rivate gardens where red, white and pink ole- 
anders grow of mammoth size. Scores of graceful 
i:)epper trees overhang the road. These trees resem- 
ble the weeping willow though the leaf is finer, and the 
large clusters of tiny red berries give j^romise of an 
abundant harvest of black pepper. There "was not 
time to climb the Kock and explore nearly three miles 
of galleries hewn in the solid stone and pierced by 
port-holes every twelve yards, from which we could 
see the cannon protruding and commanding every 
point in the capacious harbor, five miles in circumfer- 
ence. The narrowest j^art of the Strait is nine miles 
across, therefore the seven hundred guns of Gibraltar 
will not command the entrance to the Mediterranean 
except by protecting a large fleet which can rendezvous 
in this secure harbor. 

Having returned to the Hispania and taken some 



FOUR WEEKS Ol^ THE SEA. 97 

breakfast, we went on deck and through our glass sur- 
veyed the Rock of Gibraltar, the town, the isthmus, 
beyond which we could see the blue waters of the 
Mediterranean, and, on the opposite side of the har- 
bor, the Spanish towns of San Roque and Algegiras. 
The latter lies close to the edge of the water and 
from it walking along the sandy beach were many 
heavily loaded donkeys and mules. On the summit 
of a hill ojDposite Gibraltar is the round tower, Almi- 
rante, where Queen Isabella found refuge under the 
protection of British cannon, from her disaffected sub- 
jects. The coast of Sj^ain slopes gradually to the 
water without rock or stone visible, in marked con- 
trast with the rock-bound coast of Portugal which we 
l^assed yesterday. We can but imj^erfectly describe 
this wonderful Rock, which is nearly three miles long, 
three-fourths of a mile wide, and 1600 feet high. 
The low sandy isthmus which joins the Rock of Gib- 
raltar to the mainland of Spain is not more than half 
a mile wide and one and a half long. This is neutral 
ground and is almost without buildings. The Rock is 
UTCgular in its outline, being highest toward the isth- 
mus, longest toward the bay, and lowest and narrow- 
est toward the Strait and Africa. One long street 
extends the whole length of the Rock, and another 
parallel to it, near the bay. Half way up the highest 
part is Moro Castle, and the summit is crowned by a 
round tower. The top of the Rock is barren and 
cragged, Avith only a signal station midway between 
the northern and southern extremities. The most 
vegetation is on the southwest. The north and east 
sides are barren and nearly perpendicular. The har- 
bor is rendered more secure by two stone breakwaters 



98 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

called tlie Old and the New Mole, each being nearly a 
fourth of a mile in length. After a stoj) of seven 
hours the Hispania proceeded on her way. We had a 
good view of Cape Ceuta, on the African coast, when 
we left the harbor. This Cape and Gibraltar formed 
the "Pillars of Hercules" which bounded western 
navigation to the ancients. 

THE COASTS OF SPAIN AND MOROCCO. 
Tuesday, Oct. 26. Yesterday afternoon we had a 
good view of the southern coast of Spain. The Sierra 
Nevada mountains, clothed with forests and verdure, 
slojDe gradually to the low beach. White buildings 
dot the landscape. The sunset last evening was fine, 
but by eight o'clock a dense fog enveloped everything. 
The steamer slackened speed, the fog-whistle sounded 
warning, and was answered by another at no great 
distance. The wheel stopped, and we waited in the 
darkness until the moon rose, when we proceeded on 
our Avay. This morning the sky was without a cloud. 
The shores of Spain faded from view at ten o'clock, 
but those of Morocco were visible all day. We crossed 
the meridian of Greenwich at sunset, and are now in 
east longitude. There is a pleasant breeze, a soft, 
sweet atmosphere, and the stars apj^ear unusually bril- 
liant. The " dipper " is so near the horizon that the 
handle touches the sea. 

ALGERIA, AND BAY OF TUNIS. 

Thijesdat, Oct. 27. Our steamer passed the town 
of Algiers at six o'clock this morning. The sea was 
rough for two hours, but after breakfast it became 
calm, the sky cloudless, the sun warm, but the heat 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 99 

tempered by a gentle breeze. We were so near the 
coast at noon that we could see a large building in a 
sheltered valley, and that the hills were well wooded. 
Land birds flew about the deck, and picked up crumbs. 
The little creatures were tired out by their long flight, 
and our passengers caught several of them. There 
were spme swallows, some with red throats, looking 
like a small S23ecies of robin, and others resembled the 
lark, having a tuft on the head, and long, slender tail- 
feathers. A large fish-hawk flew around and above 
the ship, and then lighted on the rigging, and roosted 
there for the night. 

Thursday, Oct. 28. A quiet night, and a bright, 
cool morning, with a stiff breeze. At eight o'clock 
we passed to the north of a little hilly, uninhabited 
island, three miles long and one mile broad, named 
Galita. The steamer 23assed Cape Farina, the western 
boundary of the Bay of Tunis, at 3 p.m. This bay is 
a broad expanse of water ; it required two and a half 
hours to sail from Cape Farina to Cape Bon, the most 
northern point in Africa. On the western shore is the 
site of Carthage, the rival of Rome. Of that ancient 
city, twenty-three miles in circuit, only a broken aque- 
duct and some small portions of the wall remain. 
Within the entrance to the bay, and not far from 
Cape Bon, are two great stratified rocks, covered with 
thin soil and green moss, called Zambria and Zam- 
bretta. We were interested in watching the j)hases 
which Zambria, the larger rock, 1,324 feet high, pre- 
sented, as we approached, then passed, and it receded 
from our view with all the glory of a sunset on the Med- 
iterranean for a background. The dark, irregular rock, 
outlined against a glowing sky, a number of gulls flying 



100 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT; 

about, and a little sail vessel near it, made a fit scene 
for a painter. The lighthouse near the extremity of 
Cape Bon, 1,270 feet above the sea, has a red, re- 
volving light, which every few minutes sends a gleam 
across the waves. With this red light we bid adieu 
to Africa until we reach Port Said. 

MALTA AND GOZO. 

Feiday, Oct. 29. Another fine day, the air cool and 
invigorating. A soft haze, enveloping the landscape, 
prevented our seeing the island of Sicily, but we had 
for two hours a good view of Gozo and Malta. We 
passed nearer tg Gozo, and could see its churches, vil- 
lages, and windmills. Malta lies to the southeast, 
separated from Gozo by a narrow channel, in which is 
the small island of Comino. Near the western end of 
Malta is a large, square convent, and, midway of the 
island, a dome, one of the largest in the world. Near 
the eastern extremity is Yaletta, which could be plainly 
seen through our glass. 

Captain Laird brought out his charts and explained 
them, showing the position of St. Paul's Bay, on the 
northern coast. We took our Bibles, and read the 
twenty-seventh chapter of Acts, tracing on the map 
the perilous voyage of St. Paul, and found that he 
was shipwrecked on Melita or Malta, at the same sea- 
son of the year, and almost the same day of the 
month, as this on which we are now pursuing our way. 
How very differently our splendid iron steamship is 
built, and how much more commodious than the one 
in which he sailed, though we have on board, all told, 
not one half of " two hundred three score and fifteen 
souls." 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 101 

Malta and Gozo are practically one island, about 
twenty-five miles in length. They are noted for their 
fruits, and for the manufacture of filagree ornaments 
and Maltese laces. The harbor of Valetta is strongly 
fortified, and is held by Great Britain as an important 
naval station. The captain's chart states that Malta 
has two cities and twenty-two villages ; that the land 
is very fertile, producing oranges, lemons, olives, 
grapes, and cotton,, while the western portion abounds 
in odoriferous plants. Gozo has a fine quarry of ala- 
baster. 

ADEIA AND CRETE. 

Satueday, Oct. 30. We are now in what St. Paul 
called Adria, where he was driven up and down for 
fourteen days and nights, and neither sun, nor land, 
nor stars appeared. Though the sea is the roughest 
that we have encountered since last Saturday and the 
sun partially veiled by clouds, there are glimpes of 
clear blue sky. The ship is sailing five degrees per 
day allowing fifty-two miles to the degree, and we are 
now in the same latitude with Newbern, North Caro- 
lina. Though out of sight of land since yesterday at 
noon, the birds remain with us, lodging in the rigging, 
and are very tame. 

Sunday, Oct. 31. This has been a quiet, pleasant 
Sabbath. Divine service at 10.30 a.m.- in the saloon 
was generally attended by the passengers, the captain, 
first and second officers, purser, surgeon, and other 
employees of the ship. Mrs. Inskip presided at her or- 
gan and led the singing, assisted by Mr. Gardner, the 
congregation joining in the choruses. Mr. Inskip 
read a part of the Church service and gave a short 
sermon. Mr. McDonald offered prayer. There was a 



102 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

general praise service on the deck in the afternoon and 
another at evening. "Abide with me" and the Te 
Deiim never sounded sweeter than when they rung 
out over the Mediterranean. The only land seen dur- 
ing the day was the little island of Clauda, under 
which Paul sailed. We failed to see Candia, the at- 
mosphere not being perfectly clear. Brilliant heat 
lightning illuminated the northern sky at intervals 
during the evening. 

Monday, Nov. 1. Our ship fare is very good. 
There are five meals per day, 1st, coffee and biscuit 
in our cabins at sunrise ; 2d, breakfast at 8.30 a.m.; 3d, 
tiffin at 12.30 ; 4th, dinner at 5.30 ; and 5th, tea at 
8.30 in the evening. We ought not to starve. There 
is a well selected library belonging to the ship. From 
a book of choice sayings we glean this of La Harpe, 
" We always Aveaken what we exaggerate." It is our 
j^rayer that we may be exactly truthful, or if we err it 
may be in giving the happiest shading to every un- 
pleasant circumstance and the best possible construc- 
tion to every person's motives. The theatrical com- 
pany are busily conning their parts to be ready to 
perform when they reach Bombay. All are writing 
letters to mail at Port Said to-morrow. 

PORT SAID, EGYPT. 

Tuesday, Nov. 2. About three o'clock this morn- 
ing we were awakened by a peculiar sound of the 
screw which indicated that we were approacliing land. 
Half an hour later Capt. Laird came through the hall 
shouting, "Half past three, moored at Port Said. 
Letters ! Letters ! " Nothing is ever more welcome 
than letters from home, that have traveled securely 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 103 

for thousands of miles, been handled by strangers 
speaking unknown tongues, yet one rarely missing its 
destination. Upon deck a babel of sounds and many 
strange sights greeted us by the approaching dawn. 
Two hundred yards from the stern of the Hispania 
lay a large steamer on fire ; her upper deck partially 
submerged, her masts void of rigging, and her smoke- 
stack toppled over. She was the " Clan Rinnel " 
of Glasgow, fi'om India, loaded with cotton and sugar. 
The fire suddenly burst out while she was taking in 
coal, but i^robably had been smouldering in the hold 
for days. God be praised she did not burn while on 
the sea. 

Between us and the wharf were a dozen fishing- 
boats with one sail and a long slender yard set very 
much aslant, causing the little fleet to look as though 
a hurricane had swept over it. Going forward we 
found the j^rocess of coaling had commenced. Six 
great scows loaded with coal were moored alongside 
the Hispania, and bituminous coals, burning in iron 
baskets, hung over the water to light the scene. 
Men with baskets were walking up and down two 
rows of planks that joined the lower deck to the coal- 
boats, one set bringing them loaded, another return- 
ing them empty to be filled by a third set in the boats. 
There were two hundred and forty men, all moving 
with the regularity of clock-work, most of whom were 
Egyptians, nearly nude, with slender forms and feat- 
ures precisely like those seen in mummies. Occasion- 
ally we could distinguish the broader face and heavier 
limbs of an Arab. 

The instant the sun appeared above the horizon these 
Arabs ceased their work, and with faces turned toward 



104 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

the east, bowed in prayer. Whether on the coal-scows, 
the fishing-boats or the wharf, every Mohammedan paid 
his devotions to Allah. Immediately before ns stood a 
fine specimen of an oriental. He took the kerchief that 
bound his fez and spread it on the coal, then touched 
his forehead, extended his arms supplicatingly, and 
pressed his hand to his heart, all the time praying in 
low solemn tones ; knelt, and bowed until his forehead 
touched the kerchief on the coal. This whole cere- 
mony he repeated four times, and then resumed his 
work. 

Little boats were already alongside, the boatmen 
anxious to row the passengers ashore, furnish a guide, 
and return them to the ship for one shilling, the shore 
being only one hundred and fifty yards distant. Our 
guide was a Christian Arabian, who had been educated 
at the Boys' Mission School in Joppa, established by 
Mary Baldwin, a devoted American lady, for the edu- 
cation and evangelization of Jewish and Arab youth. 
We were conducted through the streets to the post- 
oflSce, market, and shops. The town is as level as a 
floor, having been built on a platform made of the 
debris excavated from the canal. The Pasha passed 
us, a fine-looking man, with light skin and European 
dress, except the fez, or red cap, which every subject 
of the Turkish government is expected to wear. 

Tables of the money-changers stood in the streets. 
They were about three feet long by two feet wide, the 
top divided into small compartments, in which were 
gold, silver, and copper coins, of various names and 
denominations, protected by a glass lid. The shop- 
keejoers were French, Maltese, Jews, and Italians. We 
saw but two women, one in a cafe, her face veiled by 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 105 

a narrow strip of black cotton just below the eyes, 
bound by strings to the back of the head, and hanging- 
down in front over nose, mouth, chin, and breast. 
The other was a young girl wrapped in dingy white, 
one eye alone visible. Little boys, wearing a single 
garment of blue cotton, followed us wherever we 
went, crying, " I goo boy. Backsheesh, backsheesh ! " 
Decrepit old men j^iteously whined, "Backsheesh," 
and stout fellows on the wharf chaffered for back- 
sheesh. 

Returning to the Hispania, we found the after-deck 
in possession of a crowd of peddlers, and an old 
Egyptian juggler, with his eggs, cups, and balls. A 
boat, with a pretty white awning, containing a fair- 
haired young man, approached the shij). Springing 
lightly on deck, the stranger greeted our company by 
name, and said he had been watching for the arrival 
of the Hispania, to shake hands with the American 
ministers who were going to India and around the 
world to lielp spread Christian holiness. This was 
Rev. J. Whytock, a Scotch Presbyterian minister, 
who, independently and alone, is doing what he can to 
scatter a little seed in this moral waste. He is the 
only Protestant minister in Port Said, a town of 
twelve thousand inhabitants. 

THE SUEZ CANAL. 
At eleven o'clock the Hispania steamed out of the 
harbor into the Suez Canal. From the lighthouse at 
Port Said to the town of Suez is 87 miles ; 66 of this 
is actual canal, and 21 miles pass through four lakes. 
These lakes required some excavating, excej^t about 8 
miles in Great Bitter Lake. The canal is 320 feet 



106 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

wide throughout its entire length, with the exception 
of some deej) cuttings, where it is but 195 feet wide. 
The channel has a uniform depth of 26 feet in a bed 
72 feet broad. At the gares, or stations, it is wider, 
so as to allow large steamers to pass each other. No 
locks are needed in the canal, there being a difference 
of only three inches in the level of the Mediterranean 
and the Red Sea, and the tides ebb and flow through 
the canal, from sea to sea. This great work, which 
cost 1130,000,000, is an enduring monument to Mons. 
Ferdinand De Lesseps, the French engineer who car- 
ried it forward to a successful comjjletion, and thus 
shortened the sea route from England to India 7,500 
miles. 

Scores of white pelicans, wading for fish in a narrow 
lagoon to the left, was the first thing we noticed after 
entering the canal. On the eastern shore, the mirage 
gave the deceptive appearance of water to the desert 
stretching before us, which water receded continually 
as we approached it. Beyond the banks of the canal, 
on the Egyptian side, is Lake Menzaleh, which receives 
the overflow of the Nile. Stalking in this lake, or 
sitting along the beach, were thousands of white fla- 
mingoes, with blood-red heads, while flocks of ducks 
dotted its surface. 

At a quarter past three o'clock we passed El Kan- 
tara, the reputed place where Joseph crossed from 
Palestine into Egypt, with Mary and the infant Jesus. 
The old road from Syria crosses at this point, and a 
ferry is maintained by the canal commissioners for the 
transportation of caravans. One was waiting for our 
steamer to pass, consisting of about twenty Ishmaelites, 
six camels, a herd of black goats, and several dogs. 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 107 

The ferry is a floating bridge, or large flat-bottomed 
boat, which crosses the canal by chains wound and 
unwound upon large drums, operated by a small steam- 
engine. Here we see ancient and modern civilization 
brought into strange proximity. 

Signals at the gares announce whether the canal is 
clear. If the ball and pennon are hanging down, the 
ship must stop and tie up to stakes along the bank, for 
other steamers to pass. At half-past four o'clock we 
waited for the " Kassed Kern," an armed steam-launch 
of the Khedive of Egypt. Her flag was a crescent and 
star in white, on a red field. The father of the present 
Khedive drafted 100,000 men, and Greece furnished 
25,000 navvies for the work of excavating this canal, 
which cost the lives of more than a thousand of these 
poor creatures. It is said that the Arabs and Egyp- 
tians carried the sand and stones from the channel up 
the steep banks on their lieads. The French engi- 
neers tried in vain to introduce wheelbarrows among 
them. They filled the wheelbarrows as they had j^re- 
viously filled th6ir baskets, lifted them to their heads, 
and thus climbed the bank, sometimes forty feet high, 
and dumped them. 

THE DESERT OF SHUR. 

Vessels are not allowed to proceed on the canal 
after dusk, as it would be difiicult to see the buoys 
which mark the channel. The canal is far from 
straight^ though it is so narrow that the captain feels 
he is in a strait channel, where there is danger of run- 
ning aground any moment. Between Lakes Abu Bal- 
lah and Timseh the canal is as crooked as the letter S, 
the channel being narrow and deep, and passing 



108 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

through ledges of gray limestone. Soon after the sun 
went down over the land of the Pharaohs, the His- 
pania and " City of Mecca " — another steamer follow- 
ing us — st023ped at a gare, and tied up for the night. 
It was queer to see two large steamships tethered like 
oxen or horses to posts, lest they get away in the 
darkness. On each side of the canal the Desert of 
Shur stretched away as far as our vision could reach, 
a great barren plain, broken by knolls and ridges, and 
covered with gravel and yellow sand. An occasional 
sage shrub, with its gnarled branches and ashy green 
foliage, made the desert only the more desolate. 
Some twenty-five of the passengers went ashore, but 
brought back only a handful of sand, and some 
branches of the sage, the odor of which was so offen- 
sive that it was soon thrown . overboard. The still-, 
ness was profound. The . night was so cool that the 
discarded blankets were brought out, and everybody 
slept. Even the sailors all went to sleep, only a watch 
being maintained on deck. 

FEOM LAKE TIMSEH TO SUEZ. 

Wednesday, 'Nov. 3. While Venus was shining in 
the eastern sky, before the rising of the sun, the great 
ropes that tied the bow and stern of the Hispania 
were loosed, and she started on her snail-paced course 
of five knots an hour, the maximum of speed allowed 
in the canal. At ten o'clock we entered Lake Timseh, 
a beautiful sheet of water, and stopped to change 
pilots. The pretty town of Ismalia, embowered in 
trees, lies on the western shore of the lake. The 
water of the Mle is conveyed by canal to this j^lace, 
and from here sent in pipes up and down the canal to 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 109 

all the gares. Every gare is an oasis of beauty. Date 
palms, tamarisks, oleanders, and grapevines surround 
the home of the gare-tender, and a fine vegetable gar- 
den furnishes him a table in the desert. This shows 
that only plenty of fresh water is needed to trans- 
form these desolate plains into fruitful fields. A rail- 
road connects Ismalia with Cairo and Alexandria, and 
a few hours' ride would take us to the pyramids. 

At half past eleven we entered the Great Bitter 
Lake, the largest body of water through which the canal 
passes. It took two hours to cross it, though the speed of 
the Hispania was increased to twelve knots per hour. 
The Bitter Lakes were mere depressions in the desert 
containing some moisture in which sedge and rushes 
were growing until tlie canal connected them with the 
Red Sea. On the eastern shore of the lake w^e counted 
fifteen heavily loaded camels and six Arabs going 
towards Palestine. Before reaching Suez the Canal 
widens and is filled with steam-dredges and fishing- 
boats, for it abounds with fine fish, and our cook pro- 
cured some about the size of a shad, wdiich made a 
pleasant addition to our breakfast this morning. 

The town of Suez came in sight before sunset. It 
lies at the base of a mountain four thousand feet above 
the level of the sea, preventing it from ever receiving 
any west wind and making it one of the hottest towns 
on the earth It is a thousand years old, and has 
twelve mosques and a Greek church, but no Protestant 
place of worship. The landing is some over a mile 
below the town, which is on higher ground, and no 
way of reaching it except by donkeys, along a narrow 
causeway. From Suez there is a railroad to Alexan- 
dria, and letters may be mailed here. 



110 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

CKOSSING THE KED SEA. 

At eight o'clock in the evening by the light of the 
new moon we saw the reputed place where the rod of 
Moses was lifted ii]^ and the sea divided and became a 
wall on the right hand and on the left, while the 
children of Israel passed over on dry ground in the 
midst of the sea (Ex. xiv. 16, 21, 22). The place an- 
swers to the Bible description. It is about ten miles 
below Suez, and the western arm of the Red Sea at 
this 23oint is not far from eight miles wide. Two 
steej), barren mountain ranges not less than three 
thousand five hundred feet high, enclose a narrow val- 
ley terminating in a little bay, and the water is from 
ten to forty feet deep. Josej^hus' narration of the es- 
caj^e of Israel coincides with this place: "Now when 
the EgyjDtians had overtaken the Hebrews, they pre- 
pared to fight them, and by their multitude they drove 
them into a narrow place, for the number that pursued 
after them was six hundred chariots, with fifty thou- 
sand horsemen and two hundred thousand footmen, 
all armed. They also seized on the passages by which 
they imagined the Hebrews might fly, shutting them 
up between inaccessible precij^ices and the sea; for 
there was on each side a ridge of mountains that ter- 
minated at the sea, Avhich were impassable by reason 
of their roughness, and obstructed their flight." 

On the eastern shore, a little lower dov/n, are some 
fountains and palm trees, called by the Arabs " Ayun 
Muza," the wells of Moses, where it is probable Israel 
encamped when Miriam took her timbrel and j^raised 
the Lord who had overthrown the hosts of Pharaoh in 
the sea (Ex» xv. 20, 21). God seems to have preserved 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. Ill 

the topography of this region from earthquake shock 
and drifting sands, that it might remain a monument 
to corroborate the scriptural account of the Exodus. 

GULF OF SUEZ AISD MOUNT SINAI. 
Thursday, Nov. 4. The Gulf of Suez is so narrow- 
that the sandy j)lains and barren mountains on each 
side can be plainly seen. There is not a trace of veg- 
etation anywhere ; all is utter desolation, not a bird 
in the air, not even a little moss upon the rocks, 
whether they be gray lava, yellow sandstone, or wdiite, 
chalky coral formations. Coral reefs and coral islands 
abound in this Gulf and in the Red Sea. The gulf of 
Suez, one hundred and seventy miles long, forms the 
south w^estern boundary of the Peninsula of Sinai, and 
the Gulf of Akabah ninety-seven miles long the south- 
eastern boundary of the same. The Hispania passed 
Horeb and Sinai, twin peaks of one mountain, seven 
thousand four hundred and fifty feet above the sea at 
three o'clock, but two or three ranges of the Jebel 
Muza were visible nearly all the morning, some of 
the peaks being six thousand feet high. Shortly 
fore noon we passed through Jubal Strait, the ter- 
mination of the Gulf of Suez. Jubal Island, five miles 
long, barren and mountainous, lies in the strait, near 
the Egyptian shore. 

A Sl^ANCE ON" THE SEA. 

This evening eight of our passengers brought a com- 
mon pine table on deck and foolishly engaged in a spir- 
itual seance. After sitting demurely with their hands 
crossing each other on the table for nearly an hour, 
some of them declared the table felt like moving. They 



112 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

rose, still keeping their hands on the table, and bow- 
ing as though a blessing was about to be invoked, the 
table gave a whirl and then stopped, like a sulky child, 
and stamped one leg. As spirits that infest tables re- 
quire very gentle treatment. Miss Medium softly asked, 
"Do you wish to communicate?" Answer, Stamp, 
stamj), stamj). To all the succeeding stamps or 
knocks she assigned letters of the alphabet ; so many 
knocks and a pause denoting the letter. This spiritual 
telegraphy did not travel as quick as thought, and in 
the midst of an important communication the table 
took a fit of the sulks. The shoulders of the tall 
major ached and the fingers of the ladies smarted, but 
sulky spirits must be coaxed. The medium said, " Do 
you wish to walk again ? " Answered by whirling to 
the right four times, the eight individuals hurrying 
through on double quick. By this time the table 
showed a decided weakness in two of its legs, which 
caused it to assume the j^osition of an inclined j^lane. 
Just at this critical juncture Whiz! whiz! went some- 
thing into the heavens from below, scattering a great 
shower of sparks over them. At the same moment 
that side of the ship was illuminated by a pale-blue, 
suljDhurous flame. Another instant and the horror- 
stricken table manipulators were dispersed by a series 
of hoarse, braying groans, which seemed to issue from 
beneath the table that lay in ruins on the deck. The 
sequel proved that the captain and first oflicer, not 
pleased with such a j^erformance, had taken it off by a 
signal-rocket, Greek-fire, and a fog-horn. 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 113 



THE KED SEA. 

Friday, Nov. 5. We have just crossed the Tropic 
of Cancer and are in the middle of the Red Sea, in the 
Torrid Zone. Captain Laird's charts state that " this 
sea is, next to the Persian Gulf, the hottest portion of 
the earth's surface. In July the thermometer has been 
known not to go below 98° for three successive days 
and nights." The thermometer now ranges from 79° 
to 87° on the deck, though it is protected by a double 
awning and canvas stretched along the side toward the 
sun. A breeze springs up in the afternoon, but the 
temperature of the cabins is 92°. The saloon is ren- 
dered comfortable at meals by punkahs suspended 
above the tables and kej^t in motion by a rope in 
the hands of one of the waiters, who stands above at 
the open skylight. 

The water of the Red Sea is as blue as the Mediter- 
ranean, except near the coral rocks and shoals, where 
it assumes a clear green, and by this the mariner 
knows when he is at a safe depth. Much of the sea is 
a thousand fathoms deep, but it is a dangerous sea to 
navigate, particularly at night, there being only three 
lighthouses its entire length. It is subject to sudden 
squalls and dense haze in the southern portion, though 
there is seldom any rain. We see no reason for call- 
ing it the red sea, unless it be because of the strange 
aspect of the heavens at sunset, the whole western sky- 
looking like fire mingled with blood. No rivers flow 
into this sea, though it is twelve hundred miles in 
length, from Suez to the Strait of Babel Mandeb, and 
two hundred and five miles wide, so we are out of 
sight of land much of the time. At four p.m. we are 



114 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

opposite Jedda, the jDort nearest Mecca, to which 
shrine from twenty thousand to forty thousand 
Mohammedan j^ilgrims annually repair to observe the 
rites instituted by Mohammed when he made his last 
visit to his birthplace, shortly before his death. His 
followers believe the observance of these rites in this 
sacred place ensures their salvation, and those j^ilgrims 
who die on the way receive a sure passport to endless 
felicity. 

FLYING FISH. 

Saturday, Nov. 6. Thousands of flying fish skim 
the surface of the waves, appearing in flocks, and look- 
ing like sea birds. The sailors caught some, which 
made good pan fish for eating. They are about the 
size of small herring, but rather more slender. The 
wings are semi-transi^arent, about four inches in 
length, and set one-third of the distance from the head 
to the tail. Smaller wings or flappers extend down- 
ward from the centre of the body. With these the 
little live craft is 23ropelled, the wings answering for 
sails and the tail for a rudder. At times they rise out 
of the water and fly for several hundred yards, and 
then disappear in the sea. 

A NIGHT OF DANGER. 

Monday, !N"ov. 8. Yesterday the wind was high, 
and the sea rough ; the great waves came rolling on as 
though ready to engulf the ship, but she plunged her 
iron prow into the angry billows, and sent them flying 
over her in clouds of spray. The closing hymn, at the 
evening service, — 

" Teach me to fear tlie grave as httle as my bed," 



- . FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 115 

was exceedingly appropriate, for the night was the 
most dangerous one during our voyage. The wind 
blew a gale, the waves broke over the ship, and she 
pitched terribly. About midnight, when passing sev- 
eral large rocks called the "Twelve Apostles," the 
steamer gave a lurch, and it seemed as if she would 
never right again. The wind roared, the canvas awn- 
ings flapped, the ship creaked, and there was danger 
of being driven on the rocks, but we committed all to 
God, and trusting the text for the day, — " Fear not ; 
I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, 
thou art mine ; when thou passest through the rivers, 
I will be with thee, and through the waters, they shall 
not overflow thee," — we did not pass wholly a sleei> 
less night. 

JUBAL ZOOCKE, AKD MOCHA. 

At eight o'clock we passed the volcanic island, Ju- 
bal Zoocre, one of the Hanish group, and the largest 
in the Red Sea. The eastern side is mountainous, and 
has several extinct volcanoes. The western is fertile, 
and anteloj^es graze on its slopes. Some palms grow 
near the northern extremity, and not far from them, 
on the rocky point, lies a steamship, which went ashore 
a year and a half ago. She is well up out of the water, 
and looks as though she might be floated off. Midway 
of the island is another wreck, that of the " Duke of 
Lancaster," a large, four-masted steamer, which went 
on the reef last July. Only her masts and smoke- 
stack are above the waves. The Hispania, on her 
previous voyage, passed her the day before she was 
wrecked. The island was enveloj^ed in haze at the 
time, which, in this latitude, is sometimes as dense as 



116 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

a London fog, and her captain missed his reckoning. 
Her passengers were all saved, but lost their luggage. 
At one o'clock we are opposite Mocha, noted for its 
coffee. It was formerly a town of 25,000 inhabitants, 
but now has a resident population of little more than 
1,500. The city is built on a sandy plain, close to the 
water, and has a small harbor, rendered secure by 
coral reefs, but not deep enough for large vessels to 
enter. It looks like a closely-built town of white 
houses, j^lentifully sprinkled with minarets, the most 
conspicuous object being a large mosque. The coffee 
plantations extend back from the town for forty-two 
miles, and it is said that not far from ten thousand 
tons are exported annually. 

THE STRAIT OF BABEL-MAKDEB. 

The Strait of Babel-Mandeb (the gate of affliction) 
is seventeen miles wide, but the island of Perim lies 
across the strait, and divides it into two channels. 
We sailed through the eastern passage at sunset. 
This passage is about five miles wide, between Perim 
island and a long, rocky point, named like the strait. 
Perim, five miles long and one and three quarters 
wide, belongs to Great Britain, and has a fortification 
and lighthouse on the highest point, toward the cape. 
The island has no inhabitants except the garrison of 
Sepoys, commanded by two white officers, who are to 
be pitied, for it is a desolate place ; they are, however, 
relieved once in six months, spending half the year 
at home. On Cape Babel-Mandeb is a large French 
block-house, uninhabited, the garrison having been 
murdered by Arabs, and the position abandoned. 

The history of these two fortresses is briefly this : 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 117 

About the time of the opening of the Suez Canal, a 
French frigate anchored in the harbor of Aden, much 
to the surprise of the English garrison. The French- 
men were invited ashore, feasted sumptuously, and, 
when merry with wine, divulged their project to take 
possession of Perim. Having accepted the urgent 
invitation of their hospitable entertainers, they re- 
mained another day, drinking and feasting. In the 
mean time, the English commandant despatched a 
gunboat to Perim. When the French arrived, they 
found the British standard waving^ and a company of 
soldiers with cannon guarding the island. The result 
of being thus outwitted was the erection of the block- 
house on the opposite point. Moral : Let wine alone, 
attend to the business in hand, and keep a close 

mouth. 

ADEN. 

Tuesday, Nov. 9. Just at daybreak, the Hispania 
entered the harbor of Aden, on the southern coast of 
Arabia, 1,308 miles from Suez, to take on sixty tons 
of coal. This great barren rock is larger than Gib- 
raltar, the peninsula being five miles in length and 
1,776 feet in altitude. It came into possession of 
Great Britain in A.D. 1839. There is not a tree or 
shrub, not a flower or blade of grass to be seen any- 
where. The harbor, the barracks, dwellings of the 
officers, and the fortifications are on the western side. 
On a level spot near the water, about two hundred 
tents are pitched for sleeping-places at night. Though 
very hot all the year, Aden is not unhealthful, as it is 
absolutely free from malaria. Good cool water is ob- 
tained from ancient tanks hewn in the rock, and com- 
municating with subterranean springs. Our steward 



118 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

replenished his stores here by a supply of artificially- 
made ice, and some oysters, chickens, ducks, and 
African sheej). These sheep have short, white hair 
instead of wool, and black heads and feet. The 
Arab town, on the eastern side of the peninsula, is 
.said to be one of the most villanous and unsafe places 
in Arabia. 

THE SAMAULIAN NEGROES. 

Almost as soon as the Hispania dropped anchor a 
number of Samaulian lads from the African coast on 
the opposite side of the Gulf of Aden, came in sharp 
pointed canoes hollowed out of palm trees, and 
swarmed around, and over the deck of the ship. 
When sixpence or a franc was thrown into the water, 
half a dozen dove for it, and one soon appeared with 
it in his hand or between his teeth. They seemed as 
much at home in the water as out of it; would sit in 
the water and turn somersaults, or climb as nimbly as 
a monkey to the awning above the hurricane deck, 
jump into the water a distance of forty feet, swim 
under the ship, though she drew twenty-four feet of 
water, and come up on the other side. They turned their 
canoes bottom upward and swam under them, only 
their hands visible clasping the bottom of the canoe ; 
then turned them over, climbed in and bailed them 
out by quick splashes with their hands. Some of 
these lads were handsome, having regular features, 
sparkling eyes, white, even teeth, and not very black 
skin. Several of them had their crisp, black hair 
changed to auburn by the use of lime ; being Mohame- 
dans, they like to imitate their prophet who had a red 
beard. They brought a variety of articles for sale j 



FOUK WEEKS ON THE SEA. 119 

shells, white and red coral, carved wooden sj^oons, 
canes of antelo2:)e horn, ostrich eggs, gaily colored bas- 
kets, and live monkeys with long black hair. At ten 
o'clock we left the harbor and started for Bombay, 
one thousand six hundred and sixty-four miles across 
the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. 

THE IISDIAN OCEAJf. 

Friday, Nov. 12. Since leaving Aden no land has 
been in sight, nor shall we see any until we near Bom- 
bay. The northeast monsoon has set in and Avill give 
us head-winds all the way. This monsoon blows on 
the Indian Ocean for half the year and the southwest 
monsoon the other half. The days move on rather 
monotonously. We seldom see a sail or steamer and 
no birds, but occasionally a whale or school of j^or- 
poises. One morning several whales were spouting to 
the north of the ship, and so near that we could see 
them lift their great, bulky, black bodies more than 
half out of the water. The most numerous objects 
seen outside the ship are thy sea-horses and jelly-fish. 
The sea-horse is a beautiful little creature that holds 
its head as erect as a trotting horse ; the fins on the 
back of the head look like a horse's mane, but the 
body terminates in a fish, a few inches long. We have 
seen thousands of them. The jelly-fishes are so abun- 
dant that the ocean at times appears thick with them 
sparkling in the sunny water. They are of different 
sizes and various colors, some being milk white, some 
of a beautiful rose color, others again as yellow as an 
orange, while a few are of a delicate violet hue. 

The Indian Ocean is the richest and strangest in its 
Fauna of any body of water on the globe. Could we 



120 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

explore its depths the luxuriant vegetation of a tropi- 
cal lanclscajje would not unfold so great a variety of 
form, and delicacy and splendor of color, as grow in 
this garden of the sea which is strangely composed of 
animals instead of plants. Prof. Maury in his " Geog- 
raphy of the Sea " says that, " Whatever is beautiful, 
wondrous or uncommon in the great classes of fish 
and echinoderms, jelly-fishes, and polypes, and the 
mollusks of all kinds, is crowded into the warm crystal 
waters of this troj^ical ocean." 

THE AKABIAISr SEA. 

Monday, Nov. 15. Yesterday was one of the finest 
days we have had during our voyage. The sea was 
very calm, the air comfortably warm, and nearly all 
felt well. Mr. McDonald had almost every one on 
board ship, who could understand English, to listen to 
his excellent discourse ; which was pointed, appropri- 
ate, and well illustrated by incidents, and produced a 
marked impression, as we learned from several of the 
audience. 

We have quite a world of nationalities on board, 
English, Irish, Scotch, Portuguese, Americans, East 
Indians and Lascars. Most of the great branches of 
Protestantism, Catholicism, Mohammedanism, and 
Paganism are represented. But we are soon to part ; 
the log rejiorts us only one day's sail from Bombay. 
All are in a state of antici23ation, wives are going to 
meet husbands and children to meet fathers from 
whom they have been sej^arated for months or years. 
Some look forward to new service for Christ, and 
others to success in amusing the thoughtless who live 
only for this world, and the majority to a life of ease 



FOUR WEEKS ON THE SEA. 121 

or ennui in maintaining British supremacy in the land 
of the Mogul and the Rajah, and as they Avould say 
demonstrating the superiority of Christianity over Pa- 
ganism. These officers and ladies are certainly kind, 
affable and educated ; but these qualities united to love 
for pleasure, the Avorld, and wine, and separated from 
true piety, can never convert the Parsees, Hindoos and 
Mohammedans from their venerable superstitions to 
the worship) and service of the true God and Christ 
our Saviour. 

HARBOK OF BOMBAT. 

Tuesday, Nov. 16. At seven o'clock this morning, 
away to the east was the outline of some of the highest 
points of the Ghauts mountains, our first view of India. 
At a quarter past nine Captain Laird said, " Bombay 
in sight." In this clear atmosphere we could readily 
distinguish the tall lighthouse in the harbor, the custom- 
house, and long rows of government buildings. Our 
usual ten o'clock hour of prayer arrived, and, leaving 
the exciting scene of approaching a strange land, we 
went into the saloon and read together Psalms xc, xci., 
and returned thanks to God for our safe voyage of 
6,221 miles. After singing the long-metre doxology and 
shaking hands with Captain Laird and those passen- 
gers who had so many times united with us in devo- 
tions we returned to the deck. 

Before us was the city, plainly visible from Malabar 
hill on the north to Colaba at the southern end of the 
island, for Bombay, like New York, is on an island. 
In a few moments the j^ilot came on board, and at half- 
past ten A.M. the Hispania anchored in the harbor of 
Bombay. Tug-boats and launches and a variety of 



122 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

craft came about the ship. A government steam- 
launch, larger and finer than the rest, approached, but 
before it crossed the ship's stern we saw the noble 
form of Kev. Wm. B. Osborn, and a shout of praise 
and welcome surprised all on board. Soon Rev. Messrs. 
Osborn, Fox, Shreves, and Row, and a custom-house 
officer, also a Methodist, had us by the hand. These 
friends had been out in the harbor for the last thirty- 
six hours, watching for the Hisj^ania, as a telegram 
from Aden indicated that she might arrive Sunday 
evening. Mr. Osborn's energy quickly transferred us 
to the launch and our luggage to a boat accompanying 
it, and at ten minutes to twelve all our company stepped 
on shore at Apollo Bunder (pier) after a voyage of just 
twenty-eight days from Liverpool. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 123 



CHAPTER IV. 

THKEE MONTHS IN INDIA. 

METHODIST COFFEE-ROOMS. 

Apollo Bunder is iu that section of Bombay called 
" The Fort." Here British rule was first inaugurated 
in western India, the Island of Bombay having been 
given as a marriage portion by the King of Portugal 
to his daughter Catharine, wife of Charles II., in the 
year 1662. ^N'ear the centre of this section is a large 
stone building with walls three feet thick, Avhich 
formed a part of the old fortifications, and was long 
used for a court-house and soldiers' barracks. In this 
old building the Methodists of Bombay have estab- 
lished a " Temperance Coffee-House and Reading- 
Room," with board and lodging at cheap rates, under 
the superintendence of Rev. W. J. Gladwin and wife. 
In the great cool hall of these " coffee-rooms " a Bible 
class is held twice a week and prayer and praise ser- 
vices almost every evening. The broad entrance is 
made attractive by pots of tropical plants, and the 
whitewashed walls are beautified by illuminated texts 
and pictures. Soldiers, midshipmen, and common 
sailors are provided freely with paper and ink to write 
home, and find in Mrs. Gladwin and Mrs. Briggs, the 
matron, kind motherly counselors in a strange land. 
The reading-room has a small library, and is fur- 



124 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

nished with English and American papers, secular and 
religious. 

Here we are to be entertained during our stay in 
this city. Our room in the third story is twenty-four 
feet each way, the length, breadth, and height being 
equaL While it is comfortable below, it is hot above, 
so near the roof, with the sun reflected from a great 
black ice-house opposite our windows. Bombay, lying 
so low, and within the tropics, has no cool season, but 
the heat is moderated in the latter part of the day by 
a refreshing sea-breeze. The mornings are op23ressive, 
and we perspire profusely. We are warned not to 
expose our heads to a ray of the sun unless protected 
by " Indian solar topees " (hats of bark covered with 
muslin) or by white-covered umbrellas. 

THE STREETS OF BOMBAY. 

The sun sets here not far from six o'clock all the 
year round, and the twilight is j^leasant for riding. 
Bombay has an English j^opulation of six thousand 
and a native one of six hundred and forty thousand, 
therefore we see a strange commingling of European 
and Oriental life. 

The streets are macadamized and lighted by gas. 
Horse-cars run on some of the principal thoroughfares ; 
the public buildings are large and fine, and there are 
some blocks of stores and offices that would com23are 
favorably with many on Broadway, New York. In 
front of these are the only sidewalks to be found in 
India, unless there be some in Calcutta. The streets 
are so full of people that the "ghari walla" (driver) is 
constantly crying out, " Ooh, ooh, ooh," for them to 
make way. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 125 

Passing the Elphinstone Circle, a round park filled 
with luxuriant tropical vegetation and surrounded 
by buildings with concave fronts, we enter a native 
street. The houses are four and five stories high, and 
look as if a slight jar would send them tumbling into 
the road. The lower story is occupied by shops about 
nine feet square. On the clay floor (there are no 
board floors in the east) are seated from six to ten 
men around a little lamp engaged in various handi- 
craft, as making shoes, working on clay, iron, and 
brass utensils for domestic purposes. These workmen 
are nearly nude, and their dark, ashy skin and lank 
bodies exhibit the sad effect of long slavery to caste 
and superstition. 

Occasionally we look through into an inner room, 
where we see a niche in the thick wall, decked with 
tinsel and fioAvers, and the small household idol stand- 
ing with a lamp burning before it. We pass a Hindoo 
temple, whose stuccoed walls are covered with little 
images of men, beasts, birds, creeping things, and 
strange combinations of all four, and learn by the jar- 
ring, brassy roll and thump of the "tom-tom" that 
the priests of Siva and Kali are waking the gods to 
receive their evening oblations. Further on is a Mo- 
hammedan mosque, the entire front, with its tall min- 
arets brilliantly illuminated by hundreds of very small 
lamps. We make way for a wedding procession, con- 
sisting of a score of women, wrapped in chuddars of 
crimson muslin, heavily loaded with jewelry, and 
bearing lamps. The bride is carried in a gaily dec- 
orated chair, carefully screened by curtains bordered 
with gold, and preceded by several musicians, with 
gongs and cymbals. Returning along the Esplanade, 



126 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

we pass the beautiful marble statue, by Noble, of Vic- 
toria on her throne, and see hundreds of natives sit- 
ting on the ground in groups, playing cards by dim 
lantei'ns, the Hindoos and Parsees being great gam- 
blers 

On our return to the Coffee-Rooms, we found about 
fifty members of the Methodist churches, who, with 
several of the ministers and local preachers, had come 
to welcome us. Some were full-blooded Europeans, 
though born in India, but the majority were Eura- 
sians, and a few, native Christians. Their expressions 
of gratification with our visit, and their anticipations 
of blessed results from our mission, make us feel very 
humble and dependent upon God, who alone can make 
us useful in this strange land. 

SCENES FROM MY WINDOW. 
Wednesday, Nov. 17. It is interesting to sit at 
the window and watch the passing crowd. Though it 
is only seven o'clock, everybody seems astir. The 
bhisti, with his goat-skin water-bottle slung across his 
back, is sprinkling the street. A drove of buffalo 
cows passes, followed by the milkmaid, with a brass 
" lota " on her head. These strange-looking cows are 
very large, with shining black skins, destitute of hair ; 
their milk is bluish, and the butter made from it is as 
white and tasteless as lard. There goes a woman with 
a great, flat basket full of fresh fish on her head, and, 
back of her, is a bread-man, carrying his loaves in the 
same manner. Almost everything, from a glass bottle 
to a sofa, is carried on the head. There is a man with 
a lounge, and a woman follows him with five large 
dining-chairs, tied together and carried in the same 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 127 

elevated position. An Englishman must be moving, 
for mattresses, baskets of china, and finally a square 
piano, carried on the heads of four coolies, go by. A 
squad of British soldiers files by, dressed in white, 
from helmeted hat to shoes. A Parsee banker is going 
to his office in his barouche, drawn by a span of fine 
English horses. He lies back in lordly ease ; two tur- 
baned coachmen sit on the high seat, and two foot- 
men stand behind. We can always tell a Parsee by 
his stiff, black hat, shaped like a truncated sugar-loaf. 
There comes a gaily painted native wagon, with fancy 
awnings of crimson and gilt, drawn by two little red 
bulls, which trot as fast as ponies, the driver sitting 
on the tongue of the cart. In it are some Brahmin 
ladies, closely veiled, but we can see their arms cov- 
ered with bracelets and armlets. 

Another basket of fish, and a crow suddenly swoops 
down and carries off one, unknown to the woman who 
has it on her head. The crows are everywhere, as 
numerous as English sj^arrows on Boston Common, 
and their " Caw, caw, caw " is heard from morning till 
night. One is on the other window-sill at this mo- 
ment, looking askance, at the remains of my"Chota 
hazri," or little breakfast, which is brought to the 
sleeping-rooms at sunrise ; " hazri," or breakfast, will 
not be ready until half past nine o'clock. A number 
of boys are playing in the street quite merrily, thougli 
their little brown bodies are j^erfectly nude, save a 
string around the waist, to which a small shell is 
attached, to keep off the " evil eye." The children of 
the lower castes wear no clothing until four or five 
years old, and many of the men have little more, — 
simply a turban, and from one to three yards of mus- 



128 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

lin about the loins. It is really amusing to watch the 
motley crowd upon the street, of many nationalities 
and costumes. The horse-cars are filled with a like 
variety, only the natives are all of the higher castes, 
and neatly clothed. There comes a big box-cart, 
drawn by two large, milk-white oxen, with humps on 
the back. It is one of the government garbage-carts, 
and Avhatever the English government does in this 
country is well done ; roads, bridges, j^ost-ofRces, and 
government buildings attest this. These strange 
sights weary the brain, the hot sun comes in, and we 
close the window. 

CRA'WrOED MARKET. 

Thursday, Nov. 18. We have not seen in America 
or England so fine a retail market as the one visited 
this morning. Crawford Market is built of brick, with 
stone trimmings, and has a roof of iron and glass over 
the whole area, except in the centre, where there is a 
large court, with trees and flowers kept fresh and cool 
by a fountain which sends its spray into the heated 
atmosphere. Entering the market at half-j^ast six 
o'clock, we found it filled with j^eople, though there 
were but few Europeans making purchases, and none 
among the hundreds of dealers in fruits, flowers, vege- 
tables, shoes, meats, groceries, and fancy articles which 
crowd this great inclosure. The counters are wide 
and low ; the dealers sit on them cross-legged in the 
centre of their produce, and dispose of it without ris- 
ing to their feet. These Hindoos present a beautiful 
picture, with their enormous red turbans and clean 
white garments, sitting in the midst of jDiles of oranges, 
custard apples, pumlows large as citron melons, enor- 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 129 

mous clusters of plantains, pine-aj^ples, pomegranates, 
paj^aies, and cocoanuts. 

The display of vegetables is no less strange and 
various ; those, however, peculiar to England and 
America are quite inferior ; for instance, a potato the 
size of a hen's es's: is considered laro-e in India. The 
grocery department is well supplied, as it need be, in 
a city of more than half a million of peo})le that has 
properly no grocery stores. The sugars are nearly all 
of native i^roduction, and j^oorly refined, but the tall 
stalks of sugar-cane for sale are as full of sweet juice 
as a Vermont maple in spring time. Long counters 
of tobacco and betel-leaves show that these sickening 
chewing weeds have numerous devotees. The flowers 
are the strangest, cheapest, and most beautiful of all 
this exhibition ; tuberoses, jasmine, lantana, and myrtle 
perfume the air. Women sit stringing chaplets of 
jasmine and chrysanthemums to deck the idols, and 
piles of marigolds are ready for votive offerings. The 
meats, poultry, and eggs are on the other side of the 
garden, and are j^resided over by Mohammedans, as the 
Hindoos are mostly vegetarians, being forbidden by 
their religion to take animal life, and are unclean if 
they touch dead bodies of any kind. 

GEANT EOAD METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

Friday, Nov. 19. The English-speaking Methodists 
have three organized societies in Bombay, with three 
places of worshi]^, — Mazagon, Dean Hall, and Grant 
Road. The first two assemble in hired halls, but the 
latter has a beautiful new Gothic church, finely situ- 
ated in a section where there are many Europeans, 
Eurasians, and wealthy English-speaking natives. It 



130 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

is of brick, painted cream-color, modest, being without 
tower or spire, roomy and comfortable even in this hot 
climate. The floor is covered with palm-leaf matting, 
the pews have cane seats, and the long windows open- 
ing like doors, allow a free circulation of air through 
the closed blinds. 

The clmrch was filled this evening with a fine con- 
gregation, representing the Methodist and other Chris- 
tian denominations of the city, convened to welcome 
their American visitors. Rev. George Bowen, the 
senior member of the South India Conference, j^re- 
sided ; Rev. I. F. Row, the pastor, gave Mr. Inskip 
and his associates the freedom of his church, and they 
in turn defined their position and work. The spirit of 
the meeting was warm, hopeful, and encouraging. Its 
informal character gave liberty to any who wished to 
speak, and it became apparent that the ministers pres- 
ent were in accord with the doctrine and in sympathy 
with the experience and life of holiness ; and also 
among the laity were those of several denominations 
who would welcome the experience of cleansing 230wer, 
and abiding union with Christ. 

MALABAR HILL. 

Sattjrday, Nov. 20. This afternoon Maj. Oldham, 
of the Church of England, invited us to a ride, and to 
visit his home near Malabar Hill. Bombay is built on 
several islands united to each other and the main land 
by causeways, and is very level, except at Malabar 
Hill, the northwestern extremity and most fashionable 
part of the city. A dwelling, standing apart from 
others, and surrounded by a compound or garden, is 
called a bungalow. The houses on this hill are of this 



THEEE MONTHS IN INDIA. 131 

class, and are occupied by government officers and 
wealthy natives, mostly by the Parsees or fire wor- 
shipers. A good bungalow on this hill will rent for 
from three to four hundred dollars j^er month, as it is 
so situated as to catch the sea-breeze, and commands a 
fine view of the city, harbor, and Arabian Sea. At 
the extreme point is the governor's residence, sur- 
rounded by offices and barracks, and beautified by 
hedges and tropical vines. The hill is lighted with 
gas to its furthest point, and supj^lied with aqueduct 
water (as is the whole city), and must be a delightful 
residence for those who have plenty of rupees. There 
is one drawback, however ; on the hill is a large in- 
closure which deserves particular notice. 

THE PAESEES AND THE TOWER OF SILENCE. 

Among the people seen in the street and at jDublic 
gatherings none are so noticeable as the Parsees for 
their fine, intelligent faces, neat and tasteful costume, 
and gentlemanly manner. Their complexion is nearly 
as light as the European and their features as regular. 
They are the descendants of the ancient Persians, and 
were driven from their country in the seventh century 
by the Arabs. There are seventy thousand Parsees in 
the Bombay Presidency, many of whom are very 
wealthy. They are the hotel-keej^ers, liquor-dealers, 
merchants, bankers, builders, and capitalists of Bom- 
bay, and have no paupers or beggars among them. 
Nearly all the men speak English fluently, and both 
their sons and daughters are educated. One of them. 
Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, was knighted by the British 
government, and his name and benevolence are jDcr- 
petuated by a large and useful hospital which he pro- 



132 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

jected and endowed. Other Par sees have done much 
to improve the city and endow its educational insti- 
tutions. 

Their sacred book is the " Zend Avesta," the writ- 
ings of Zoroaster, who is supposed to liave lived when 
Cyrus was king of Persia. They believe in one su- 
preme being, represented to man by the elements, — 
fire, earth, air, and water, — and are called fire wor- 
sliipers because they claim that the Shekinah or 
divine presence dwells in the sacred fire in their tem- 
ples. This sacred fire Zoroaster claimed to have re- 
ceived from heaven, and they brought it with them 
from Persia, and have never suffered it to be extin- 
guished. Their temples are modeled after the ancient 
temple at Jerusalem, having a court for the people, a 
holy place, and a holy of holies. Much of their wor- 
ship was evidently borrowed from the Jews during 
" the seventy years' captivity in Babylon." The Par- 
sees accept portions of the moral law, but reject the 
atonement, and comparatively few have embraced 
Christianity. 

They have a horrid way of disposing of their dead. 
On the summit of Malabar Hill is a park, including 
seventy acres, surrounded by a high wall, and in this 
inclosure, which is beautified by many tall palms and 
other trees, are five round, stone towers called 
"Towers of Silence." On the grated, stone floors or 
sunken roofs of these towers the nude bodies of all 
deceased Parsees are placed to be eaten of vultures. 
We saw hundreds of these vultures, as large as tur- 
keys, perched on the towers or sitting in the trees 
waiting the arrival of more dead bodies. When the 
bones have been picked clean by these vultures and 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 133 

by the crows, which are the scavengers of India, they 
are shoA-eled promiscuously into a well in the centre 
of the tower, where they gradually turn to dust. The 
rich Parsees living on this hill can sit on the verandas 
of their bungalows and watch the vultures that may 
pick their bones in a few days. 

HOME OF MAJOR OLDHAM. 

On our return from Malabar Hill, we entered a beau- 
tiful garden and alighted before a fine two-story bun- 
galow, which is quite a missionary home. Few of 
any evangelical denomination have labored for any 
length of time in this part of India without enjoying 
the hos23italities of Major Oldham and his wife. These 
devoted members of the Church of EnHand use their 
means and influence as stOAvards of Christ. Their 
large front room on the first floor is used during the 
day for a native school and for 'religious services at 
night. The remainder of this story is given to Rev. 
Mr. Mody, a converted Parsee, and his English wife, 
who is engaged in teaching Mohammedan women in 
the zenana, or harem. Major Oldham's family occupy 
only a part of the second storj^, as they have twenty- 
one Mahratta orphan girls under their roof who 
are receiving support and Christian education. This 
Christian officer holds meetings at the " Sailors' 
Home," and on ships in the harbor, and co-operates 
in all missionary conventions. When it was found 
that the city authorities would charge several hundred 
rupees for the ground required to pitch our Taber- 
nacle on the Esplanade, Major Oldham nobly volun- 
teered to meet the expense. If all British officers in 
this country had his spirit India would soon be Chris- 
tianized. 



134 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

FIKST SUKDAY IN INDIA. 

Nov. 21. There is a difference in Bombay between 
Sunday and other days ; government offices are closed 
and business is susj^ended upon. all public works; and 
even in the native streets there is less bustle and ac- 
tivity, notwithstanding the shops and bazaars are 
open, and men can be seen sewing and hammering as 
on week days. Sunday-school in India is at seven 
o'clock in the morning. At Grant Road, at the close 
of the usual international lesson^ Mr. Gardner preached 
a short sermon from the text, " He shall feed his flock 
as a shepherd." There was a good attendance, and a 
sweet, tender spirit joervaded the assemblage of young 
people, and several came forAvard to give their hearts 
to Christ. At eleven o'clock Mr. McDonald 2:)reached 
at Dean Hall, and Mr. Wood at Mazagon, to good 
English congregations. In the evening there was a 
union service at Grant Road, when Mr. Inskip preached, 
and baj^tized a beautiful baby, whom its parents were 
pleased to name Eva Inskip. The church, which Avill 
probably seat a thousand persons, was filled before the 
hour of service, and we were glad to see a good num- 
ber of turbans and Parsee hats among the audience, 
otherwise we could hardly have realized that we were 
not in an American church in the midst of a gracious 

revival. 

FROM BOMBAY TO POONA. 

Monday, Nov. 22. It has been arranged to hold the 
first Tabernacle meeting at Poona one hundred and 
nineteen miles by rail from Bombay; the meeting to 
open to-morrow evening. We left Bombay at a quarter 
past seven, a.m., accompanied by Rev. W. B. Osborn. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 135 

The morning was comfortable, our second class com- 
partment roomy, and the ride very interesting. We first 
crossed a low plain called the Concan, devoted to rice 
culture and cocoanut-palm orchards. It lies between 
the mountains and the sea, is about four hundred 
miles in length, and twenty-five miles in breadth, and 
is very rich and fertile. The rice fields are divided 
into i^'^itches only a few rods square, by little mud 
ridges which can be opened with the foot to let in or 
out the water, during the rainy season, necessary to 
rice culture. The rice harvest is past, but men were 
busy clearing the ground of stubble and spading it 
preparatory to some other crop. Others were plowing 
with the root of a tree drawn by four yoke of small 
native bullocks. The cocoanut orchards are valued 
more for making toddy than for their fruit. We saw 
men climb the tall branchless trees by notches cut in 
the bark, chop off one of the long leaves and hang a 
stone jar on the stub to catch the sap. Tliis in a few- 
days ferments and becomes quite intoxicating and is 
the principal native liquor. This corroborates what we 
have long believed, that drinking intoxicants is hea- 
thenish as Avell as disgraceful. We crossed several 
small rivers, and passed some large Gotton factories, 
operated by the natives, also some native dye-works, 
and salt-works where this useful article is obtained by 
evajioration, from lagoons communicating with the 
Ai-abian Sea. 

. At ten o'clock we began to ascend the Ghauts, and 
the air which had become very hot on the plain grew 
cool and invigorating. The scenery, going up the 
mountains, was sublime ; palms and plantains disap- 
peared and new vegetation succeeded. Beautiful val- 



136 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

leys lay between the wild mountain ranges, and herds 
of buffaloes, native cattle, goats, and sheep, tended by 
a solitary shepherd, fed on the rich pasturage kept 
green by mountain streams. Small native villages 
dotted the valleys or nestled under the hills ; every 
cluster of thatched mud huts being surrounded by 
stacks of grain and straw. Each village contains one 
dwelling larger than the rest, the residence of the 
Zemindar or head man, who is the proj^rietor or govern- 
ment agent of the soil. We passed threshing floors in the 
open air where oxen were treading out the grain, and 
saw many strange grains growing beside the familiar 
wheat and millet. The dress or rather undress of the 
country people is the same as of the lower Hindoo 
castes in Bombay — the children running unclothed 
about the 'fields. 

When we reached the summit of the Ghauts, nearly 
six thousand feet above the sea, having passed through 
twenty-three tunnels, our grade was reversed, and we 
began to descend the broad plain sloping away five 
hundred miles toward the Bay of Bengal. Here we 
met one of our fellow-jjassengers on the Hispania, a 
widow lady with a sweet little daughter, who formerly 
lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. She was married the second 
day after landing in Bombay, and had already com- 
menced housekeeping in the midst of this fearfully 
wild and grand mountain scenery, her husband being an 
engineer on the railroad. A little beyond, we passed the 
Lanoli camp-ground, a beautiful grove surrounded by 
extensive forests, where the Methodists of South India 
started their first camp-meeting, and annually spend 
a few weeks of the hot season to invigorate soul and 
body. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 137 

POONA; FIRST TABERNACLE SERVICES. 

Wednesday, Nov. 24. Poona is delightfully lo- 
cated on a plateau two thousand feet above the sea, 
on the eastern side of the Ghauts, and has a po^^ula- 
tion of about one hundred thousand. The military 
cantonment and English town are separate from the 
native city, as is largely the case throughout India, 
except in Bombay. Many wealthy Parsees and Mah- 
rattas, however, live among the English, and their 
buno-alows cannot be distino-uished from others. 
TKeir dwellings are large, and surrounded by fine 
compounds, beautified by carefully-trimmed hedges, 
and planted with a variety of roses and other flowers. 

The Methodist Hall, a neat and pleasant place for 
worship, is situated on one of the principal streets, 
and the parsonage oj^posite is as sweet and inviting a 
home as a young minister need desire. It is occupied 
by Rev. Mr. N'orthui^, formerly of the Rock River 
Conference, who is well adapted to the work in India, 
and he is encouraged and assisted by a calm, self-sacri- 
ficing, contented wife. Mrs. Northup was the first 
wife whose traveling expenses were paid by the 
"William Taylor Transit Fund." A short distance 
from the parsonage is the " Poona Methodist Day and 
Boarding School," under the supervision of Rev. W. 
E. Robbins, who has generously given his beautiful 
lawn on which first to pitch the Tabernacle in India. 
The Tabernacle has not suffered from its long sea 
voyage, and looks white enough to be symbolic of the 
purity j^roclaimed within its canvas walls. The 
ground is covered with clean rice straw, and it is 
seated with cane-bottom chairs. 



138 ENGLAND AND THE OlIIENT. 

The meeting opened at six o'clock last evening, and 
was well attended. Mr. Inskip preached a gentle, 
persuasive sermon on Acts ix. 31 : " Then had the 
churches rest," etc. At its close, members of the 
church came forward very jjromptly to renew their 
consecration, many of them seeking definitely a clean 
heart. At the seven o'clock service this morning it 
rained quite hard, and only about fifty j^ersons were 
present. Mr. McDonald, instead of preaching, held a 
prayer and experience meeting. The people prayed 
promptly, and nearly all came to the altar seeking 
purity. The testimonies which followed were clear, 
and given in a quiet, humble spirit. 

THE TEMPLE OF PAKBUTTI. 

As the rain had laid the dust, our kind entertainers 
13roposed that we ride out to the celebrated heathen 
temple of Parbutti, beyond the native town. The 
atmosj^here Avas like a cool, pleasant day in June, and 
the road passed through groves of mango and tama- 
rind, and by some fine orange orchards. It was in- 
closed by hedges of prickly-pear from four to six feet 
high, covered with pink blossoms, among which wild 
lantana was blooming in profusion. Before ascending 
the hill, we came to the Pool of Parbutti, an artificial 
lake, overhung with shrubs, with a little island in the 
centre, having a pagoda, and shrines sacred to the 
" goddess of light." Here we left our carriage to as- 
cend the hill on which the temi^le stands, climbing a 
rugged, unkept path, by some rude huts where at- 
taches of the temple live in squalor, and beset -by a 
throng of dirty children, screaming, "pucca pice, 
mama," and where native pigs ran about us, with long, 



THJIEE MONTHS IN INDIA. 139 

pointed snouts, and brown hair bristling like hedge- 
hogs. After picking our way over heaps of filth and 
rubbish, we came to one hundred and eighty stone 
ste]3s, each six feet wide. The Prince of Wales as- 
cended these steps on an elephant, but we took the 
way our Saviour traveled — on foot. Half way up, 
we came to a " pepul " tree, growing in the centre of 
a stone platform, where the last suttee in this district 
was witnessed forty-six years ago. "A cruel custom," 
as the j)riest who accompanied us remarked, "but 
some widows preferred being burned witli their hus- 
band's dead body to the life of a slave in the family 
of their mother-in-law, the head shaved, not permitted 
to wear any jewelry, and obliged to perform the most 
menial service." 

At the top, the view well repaid the fatigue of climb- 
ing. The city is indeed beautiful, with its white bun- 
galows standing in the midst of semi-tropical foliage, 
and surrounded by a rich and cultivated country, well 
shaded by trees, but free from malarial swamps, and 
several mountain 23eaks bounding the scene. From this 
temple the last PeshAva or Mahratta king, in 1817, wit- 
nessed the defeat of his army of twenty-five thousand 
men by three thousand English troops, in the plain be- 
low. He fled only to be taken prisoner by his hated 
conquerors, who deposed him but gave him a pension 
for life. 

The first idol we saw in the temple was " Monosa^ 
the mother of snakes^"* a large stone heifer, decked 
with a garland of fresh flowers. Near it was a great 
" tora-tom " for waking the gods. It was of brass, m 
the shape of a pointed shell, three feet in diameter. 
We were asked to look through a grated door and " be- 



140 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

hold Parhutti in her chariot, drawn by seven horses." 
We looked and saw a big wooden doll, about two and 
a half feet high, riding a hobby horse with seven 
heads. This is the famous " goddess of liglit^^ daugh- 
ter of JBrahrtia and Avife of Siva. Oj^posite, in an- 
other cage, was " Giinesh^ the god of wisdotn^'' a little 
fat red man with the head of an elephant, riding a rat. 
This idol is placed in the schoolhouses, and the boys 
are taught to worship it. The fourth cornei- was oc- 
cupied by a gaily dressed doll, called " Kama., the 
goddess of love^'' and above her cage grew the baal 
apples, highly valued by the Hindoos for their med- 
icinal properties. In the centre of the temple a door 
was opened carefully, and a pan of incense put in ; 
after which we were permitted to look at a great, 
hideous image, with distorted white face and four 
hands, each holding some destructive weapon. This 
was " Siva., the god of destriictionP Passing around 
by the home of the chief priest, where his wife and 
daughters were weaving, we ascended several steps to 
the highest place, where " Yishnic, the god of preser- 
vation " dwelt alone. He had four hands and a hlack 
face. As he is the god who has had nine incarnations, 
he is represented in many different forms. 

My heart took courage as we saw no worshipers, but 
three priests, acting like showmen exhibiting some 
curiosities, and a few mendicants followed us about, 
begging for "pice." All around were evidences of 
decay; the stones crumbling, the temple partly in 
ruins, and not being repaired, showing that faith in 
these miserable idols is losing its hold upon the people. 
We said to one of the priests — " Surely you do not 
believe these images can help you?" He replied, 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 141 

"N^o, I believe in one supreme being, but the lower 
classes must have something which a23i3eals to their 
senses." This man spoke English fluently, and if con- 
verted, might do much for his race, but Christianity 
w^ould require him to give up his living. This temple 
and a few others have been endowed, sad to state, by 
the British government, for some of the native prop- 
erty confiscated after the mutiny was turned over for 
the benefit of heathen temj^les, through an unwise con- 
ciliatory policy. 

tha:n^ksgiying es" ikdia. 

ISloy. 25. Thanksgiving day found us ten thousand 
miles from home, sitting with oj^en doors, the thermo- 
meter at 80°, fresh roses on the table, and morning- 
glories blooming over the doorway. It is in one respect 
an American Thanksgiving day, — a stormy night, a 
cloudy morning, and a pleasant afternoon. ISTot with- 
standing the rain, there were quite as many out at 
seven o'clock as are usually present at a ThanksgiA^ng 
service in I*^ew England. 

We were all invited to dine mth Rev. W. E. Rob- 
bins, at the " Poona Methodist School." This brother 
was a member of the Indiana Conference when Rev. 
Wm. Taylor, the world's evangelist, first called for 
ministers to take charge of self-supporting Methodist 
churches in India. Brother Robbins did not wait for a 
bishop to send him, or for money to meet his expenses, 
but came alone, and at his own expense, and God has 
been with him. He is particularly valuable in native 
work, as he speaks readily several of their languages. 
His school has been in operation about two years ; it 
numbers sixty students, and is entirely self-supporting. 



142 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT „ 

Of the twenty-one persons at the table thirteen were 
Americans, representing eight States of the Union. 
Though beyond the reach of presidential proclama- 
tions, these Americans do not forget the day sacred at 
home, and praise God with grateful hearts as when 
beneath the "Stars and Stripes." We enjoyed the 
customary roast turkey and pumpkin pie along with 
"rice and curry," guavas and plantains, and other 
dishes and fruits of India. The year has been one of 
unusual health and prosperity among our American 
missionaries. As yet, no American member of the 
South India Conference has been laid to rest in Indian 
soil, and none belonging to the North India Confer- 
ence have died here during the year. Our little com- 
pany are as wxll as when we left home five months 
ago, and have been blest in our mission far more than 
we anticipated. The first meeting in India has opened 
weU. Many Parsees and Babus, or English-speaking 
Hindoos, come to every service. The brethren alter- 
nate, preaching in order of seniority. Mr. Wood was 
much helped last evening in preaching from a favorite 
text, " Blessed are the pure in heart ;" and Mr. Inskip 
exhorted with remarkable persuasiveness, and a large 
number came forward seeking that experience. 

FEEE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND ORPHANAGE. 

Friday, N'ov. 26. After breakfast, Miss Bernard, a 
cousin of Sir Henry Lawrence, came for the ladies to 
visit the " Girls' Orphanage," of which she is .superin- 
tendent. Miss Bernard is a member of the Church of 
England, the orphanage is supported by the Free 
Church of Scotland, and the principal teacher is a 
Methodist; showing how insignificant church lines are 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 143 

deemed in this country, comioared to the work of enhght- 
ening and saving the people. We found about fifty 
girls in this pleasant home, who showed careful in- 
struction, and sung for us some native hymns. Among 
them was a blind girl whom Miss Bernard found after 
her parents had thrown her into the bushes as not worth 
raisino'. The little waif seemed so grateful and affec- 
tionate that our hearts were drawn toward her. The 
girls live in Hindoo fashion, except that they have 
learned to sit on chairs and benches, and sleep in ham- 
mocks instead of on the ground. On the wall of their 
bath-room was a hole, from whence a snake-charmer 
recently drew a large cobra, one of the most venom- 
ous snakes of India. It had lived there for four 
months. It was almost a miracle that none of the 
girls were bitten by it. The mortality from snake- 
bites is very great among the natives, who usually go 
barefoot and sleep on the ground both outside and 
inside their huts. In the one Presidency of Bengal 
9,515 persons were reported as killed by snake-bites 
in 1879. The government paid rewards for 21,102 
poisonous snakes killed in the towns and villages of 
British India last year. 

AN ABUNDANCE OF EALN. 

Satitrdat, ISTov. 27. We were assured that the 
rainy season closed in SejDtember, and we would not 
see any rain during our stay in India, but our Taber- 
nacle seems to have brought rain to Poona. The oldest 
residents say that it has not rained here in the month 
of November for thirty-five years. Nevertheless, it 
has rained almost every day since we commenced our- 
meeting, and one night the wind and rain broke down 



144 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

one side of the Tabernacle. Yesterday afternoon, 
while out for a ride, we were overtaken by a heavy 
thunder-shower, showing us how it rains here during 
the wet season. The water poured from the skies, the 
streets and comi^ounds were drenched ; and the rain 
continued during the evening, but the Tabernacle was 
nearly full of people. 

elepha:n^t and camel eiding. 

After an unusually solemn and searching meeting 
this morning, we breakfasted, and went to see the 
camels and elephants used by government in transport- 
ing cannon and military stores. There were a num- 
ber of camels, but only the gentlemen attemi3ted to 
ride them. Their gait is awkward and uncomfortable 
to tliose not accustomed to it ; as the camel takes very 
long steps, and moves its two right feet and then its 
two left feet, the motion somewhat resembles the sway- 
ing of a ship at sea. 

There were only two elephants in at the time — a 
male, with enormous tusks sawed off at the tips and 
protected by rings, a necessary precaution, as he is 
sometimes fierce and unsafe for riding ; and a female, 
who is nearly as large as the male, but has small tusks, 
and is very docile. She knelt for us to mount, yet we 
were obliged to use a ladder to reach her back. The 
saddle was poor and imi^erfectly secured; the driver 
sat on her neck and five of us Americans on the saddle. 
She rose on her fore feet and we were on an inclined 
plane, holding the rim of the saddle with all our might ; 
then up came the huge hind feet, and away she moved. 
One of the ladies' hats fell off, she feared to oj^en her 
umbrella, none of us could speak Hindoo, and our 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 145 

" Stop, stop; do stop ! " as the saddle slipped to one 
side, were totally disregarded by elephant and driver. 
Onward, right onward moved the stately animal, 
quietly, majestically, no rattle of wheels, no jar of the 
heavy feet. We thouglit, if we had a good howdah 
well secured, it would be pleasant to ride all day and 
overlook the country ; but our first ride on an elejjhant 
was not a long one. Having turned round and taken 
us back to the point of starting, she knelt, hind feet 
first, and again we had to look out lest we all slip 
down into a promiscuous heap at her tail. Her fore 
feet doubled up, the ladder was placed against her 
side, and we clambered down to terra firnia. The 
elephant is less rapid than the camel, the latter fre- 
quently traveling from sixty to seventy miles in a day. 

SUNDAY TABEK:NrACLE SERVICES. 

Nov. 28. Mr. Inskip's sermon this morning was 
tender and subduing, though clear and searching. At 
the close he invited all who were " in love and charity 
with all mankind to come forward." This invitation 
was wisely worded, as the Methodist church here has 
suffered from conflicting influences in its membership ; 
but some who had withdrawn have been greatly blest, 
old animosities have been healed, and to-day all that 
were present, knelt in sweet accord. It is to be re- 
gretted that several of the leading men, connected 
with the civil and military service were necessarily 
absent during most of the Tabernacle meeting, but 
some came home for the Sabbath and have been gra- 
ciously cleansed and anointed. At eleven a.m. there was 
a large gathering of the Mahratti Methodist Sunday- 
schools which are conducted by Brother Robbins and 



146 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Mr. Peterson, a native preacher. Mr. Insldp and Mr. 
Wood made short addresses which were interpreted 
by a Eurasian brother. The singing of these native 
Christians and young Mahrattas was inspiring. 

At four P.M. yesterday and to-day Mrs. Inskij) con- 
ducted children's meetings simihar to those held by her 
in America and England. We were pleased to learn 
that Indian Methodists believe in early conversion, and 
several of the children were members of the church. 
These children of English and Eurasian parentage are 
bright, gentle and easily moved. Quite a number 
both yesterday and to-day sought the Lord. Among 
those who knelt in prayer were some Catholics and 
one Jewish youth who seemed deeply moved. 

At six o'clock Mr. McDonald preached to the largest 
congregation during the meeting. The sermon was more 
than usually searching and impressive, and many came 
to the altar, among them two native gentlemen, both 
of whom testified to having found acceptance through 
Christ. One was a young auditor, well educated and 
capable of exerting much influence if he continue a 
decided Christian. It was a blessed hour. The testi- 
monies given by these Mahrattas and others who 
obtained pardon, and by many Christians who received 
the grace of purity produced a marked impression on 
the Parsees and Babus present. 

NATIVE SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 

After the early service we breakfasted at the Scotch 
Orj^hanage and went into the native city to visit 
three Sunday-schools for native girls. We were sur- 
prised and delighted to find the children of heathen 
parents could be gathered for religious instruction. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 147 

In this there is hope for India. The children sat on 
the floor, but rose as soon as we entered, phiced their 
hands to their foreheads and said, " salaam "^peace). 
With the exception of a few Parsees and Cliristians 
present, these girls had the forehead, ears, nose, neck, 
arms, ankles, and toes loaded with jewelry. The Par- 
sees wear rich clothing, but little jewelry, and the 
native Christians seldom wear any at all, but have 
dresses with their chuddars, made long enough to 
conceal their limbs, which Is more than can be said of 
most little girls in Christian America. 

These children, being natural musicians, learn to 
sing very readily. They sung some "bhajans" and 
translations of " Safe within the fold," and " Come to 
Jesus just now," in the tunes used at home. They 
repeated the twenty-third Psalm and other passages 
from the scriptures, and evinced a knowledge of the 
Bible and of sin, repentance, faith, jDrayer, ■ and the 
need of a Saviour, which astonished us. They seemed 
not far from the kingdom of God. In re^^ly to our 
questioning, they said : — " We cannot see God, but 
we can feel him ; " " Sin is disobeying God ; " " Prayer 
is asking God;" "Coming to Jesus is loving and 
obeying him." 

MES. SOEABjrS SCHOOL. 

Monday, N'ov. 29. This morning we had the 
pleasure of taking breakfast with Mrs. Sorabji, 
Principal of the "Victoria School," who is an 
example of the blessed and enduring results of 
boarding-school education given in our missions. 
Mrs. Sorabji is a Tamil lady, educated in a mission 
school at Madras ; her husband is a Parsee, both are 



148 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

intelligent and educated Christians. Mr. Sorabji 
preaches among his people, though Avhen he first 
embraced Christianity his life was threatened, and 
young Sorabji was kept in concealment four months. 
For forty-two years he has been a faithful disciple, and 
now the Lord is giving him favor with his people. 
There are one hundred and eight pupils in the " Vic- 
toria School," which is a model of neatness and order. 
Here the children of English residents, Eurasians, 
Parsees, and Mahrattas mingle together in prayer and 
sacred song at the morning devotions, and are receiv- 
ing scientific, literary, and religious instruction. 
Music and needlework are also taught. 

MEETIXG IN THE NATIVE CITY. 

Our comjjany was invited to hold a service for the 
Babus and Parsees in the native city. It was held in 
the Judgment Hall of the palace of the old Mahratti 
kings, — a great room with strangely-carved pillars, 
and a court which made us think of the place where 
Simon Peter denied his Master in the palace of Caia- 
phas. The hall is now an institute occupied for native 
instruction by the Free Church of Scotland. There 
were about four hundred educated natives present, 
who seemed much pleased with Mrs. Inskip's singing, 
and listened attentively to short addresses by Messrs. 
Inskip, McDonald, and Wood. Mr. Inskip spoke to 
them as thoughtful, intelligent men, desirous of know- 
ing the truth. He told them " truth is most certainly 
known by its fruits, and best understood by experi- 
ence." His remarks were timely, and were applauded 
by his strange audience clapping their hands in real 
American style. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 149 

Mr. McDonald endeavored to correct the impres- 
sions made upon natives by association with merely 
nominal Christians, as in this country all who come 
from Christian lands are called Christians. He told 
them, "We only account those Christians who have 
faith in Christ, renounce sin, live to j^lease God, and 
bless their fellow-men. A Christian is one who loves 
the Lord with all his heart, and his neighbor as him- 
self." The natives seemed to appreciate his remarks, 
and applauded as before. 

Mr. AYood spoke of the power of Christianity to 
elevate individuals and nations, and said, " in j^ropor- 
tion as a country is under the influence of the Bible, 
it will be happy and prosperous. Education, without 
the religion of Jesus Christ, will not make your great 
and beautiful country free and prosperous. Irreligion, 
superstition, and false religions debase and enervate 
the masses, while Christianity strengthens, ennobles 
and blesses all classes." Again they applauded by 
general clapping of hands. Their treatment was cor- 
dial and gentlemanly, but these people are so polite 
that they may seem to coincide with us, when, at heart, 
they are bitterly opposed to what is said. 

THE HOMES OF WEALTHY NATIVES. 

Wednesday, Dec. 1. Mrs. Sorabji, who is en- 
gaged in zenana teaching, in connection with the 
" Victoria School," invited us to accompany her to the 
homes of some native ladies. Our first call was at a 
Parsee's named Jamsetji Dasabji, who met us at the 
door of his beautiful home, and introduced us to the 
ladies of his family. His wife died recently, but we 
saw his two little children, his aged mother, his sister. 



150 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

and sister-in-law. Parsees have only one wife, but, 
like all the natives of this country, the parents, the 
sons, no matter how many, and their wives, live to- 
gether. Mr. Dasabji understood English, and Mrs. 
Sorabji interpreted our conversation to the ladies. 

Mrs. Inskip, who is always ready to seize every op- 
portunity to speak for the Saviour, directed the con- 
versation to the subject of personal salvation provided 
for us tlirough the sufferings, death, and resurrection 
of Jesus Christ. The sorrow that had so recently 
darkened this home of refinement and taste, — for it 
was as beautifully furnished as a wealthy American 
home, with piano, pictures, and costly ornaments on 
the etagere, — made it the easier to speak of ilmt faith 
wliich bridges the dark gulf, and makes death the 
entrance to eternal life. Mr. Dasabji said, " I have 
faith in God, though I cannot go so far as yourselves ; 
I regard the ' moral law ' as a most beautiful code, and 
as the best code." Mr. Gungaram, a Hindoo lawyer, 
called before we left, and expressed much interest in 
the work of our mission, and a desire that we remain 
some time. 

Our next call was on another Parsee, Dadhubhai 
Bootie, proprietor of the " Napier House," the prin- 
cipal hotel in Poona. He was very polite, and intro- 
duced us to the ladies of his family. One wore the 
black costume of a widow, and seemed very sad; she 
showed us her husband's picture, and spoke of her 
blighted life. We told her of an endless future of joy 
and gladness before her, if she would yield her heart 
to Christ. They listened respectfully to our relation 
of Christian experience, and presented us lemonade, 
confectionery, perfumery, and bouquets of flowers. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 151. 

Mr. Bootie thanked us for calling, said that Mrs. 
Amanda Smith held a meeting for women in his par- 
lor, and he would "be pleased to offer it to these 
American ladies for a similar service." 

Our last call was on Mrs. Yanicrow, wife of the 
young Mahratti auditor who professed conversion in 
the Tabernacle Sunday evening. Her home was less 
European in style than those of the Parsees, and she 
was more exclusive. Passing through the husband's 
parlor, and ascending some stairs, we entered the 
wife's apartment. The bare clay floor was stained 
and polished with the substance (cow-dung) habitually 
used by the natives for cleansing and for fuel. The 
lady was attired in full, high-caste, native costume, 
could si^eak English, aiid said her husband and herself 
were accustomed to read the Bible and pray together, 
but she did not wish to make a public profession so 
long as her father lived. It was the old story, — 
" Lord, suffer me first to bury my father." She said 
their relatives and friends had beset them since her 
husband confessed his faith, in the big tent, and she 
did not want it to go further. Mrs. Inskip exj^ostu- 
lated with her in a sweet, motherly way, and urged 
her to encourage her husband in being a Christian. 
We all knelt, and prayed that grace might be given 
them to take up the cross and follow Christ without 
faltering. 

COJ^CLUSIOIS' OF THE POOXA MEETING. 

Mr. McDonald preached the closing sermon to a 
large and solemn congregation. There were a great 
number of the natives present, who, as in previous 
services, maintained the most quiet and respectful 



152 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

deportment. When Mr. Inskip gave his last invita- 
tion for the j^eople to seek the Lord, a number of 
new faces came forward, among them two Hindoos : 
one, a lady, the wife of the native preacher. Her 
husband, Brother Peterson, is preaching and teaching 
among his people, and living on what he receives 
from his pupils. He has entered into the fullness of 
" perfect love " during the meeting, and, now that 
his wife has become a Christian, his cup of joy is 
full. She testified to her faith in Mahratta, which 
her husband joyously interpreted. Between thirty 
and forty spoke for Jesus at the after service. 

Some knowledge of the results of our twenty-three 
services in Poona may be gained from the response 
to Brother In skip's question, " How many persons 
present have, during the progress of these meetings, 
received a satisfactory assurance that they have been 
either wholly sanctified, soundly converted, or con- 
sciously reclaimed from a backslidden state ? " Eighty 
persons rej^lied by promptly rising. Several had left 
town, and a number of young people, converted at 
the two children's meetings, were not present. The 
meeting closed at nine o'clock, and immediately the 
Tabernacle was taken down, packed in its boxes, sent 
to the railroad station, and by midnight was on its 
way to Bombay, to be ready for the meeting to com- 
mence there next Sunday. 

EETUEN TO BOMBAY. 

Friday, Dec. 3. When we entered the train at 
twelve M. for Bombay, the station was decorated with 
flags and flowers, not in our honor, but for the Mar- 
quis of Rijion, the Governor-General of India, who 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 153 

had visited the military cantonment, and been the 
guest of Governor Furguesson at his Poona residence. 
The governor of Bombay Presidency has three resi- 
dences or pahices furnished him. The one here is as 
fine as the presidential mansion at Washington, and 
is his favorite resort during the hot and rainy months. 
The viceroy is a Catholic, and we were delayed for 
more than an hour, that he might visit a Catholic 
school and distribute prizes. When he arrived, a 
carpet was sj^read for him to walk upon ; our train 
was run off on a side track ; his special train took its 
place. He entered accompanied by a Catholic priest, 
and after much ceremony the special train proceeded, 
and ours slowly followed. It was nearly eight o'clock 
when we reached Bombay and saAv at the station the 
bright face of our old friend Amanda Smith. She 
had just returned from visiting the churches at the 
north to be present at our Tabernacle meeting in 
Bombay. 

RAISING THE TABERNACLE. 

Satueday, Dec. 4. This is the commencement of 
the annual Mohammedan festival, which continues 
twelve days; some of our friends have expressed 
fears for the safety of the Tabernacle, as there are 
two sects of these followers of the false prophet, and 
they sometimes come into collision. The authorities 
say they cannot promise it will be unmolested, but 
we are here to hold a meeting before Conference, and 
will go on trusting in God as we have done in the 
past. The location^ on the Esplanade is a good one, 
being opposite the new station of the G. I. P. Rail- 
road, and at the intersection of two lines of horse- 



154 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

cars ; near the " Variety Theatre," and where it will 
catch the cool breeze from the Arabian Sea. 

Rev. D. O. Fox, presiding Elder of this district, 
after rendering efficient aid to the meeting in Poona, 
came with the Tabernacle to Bombay, and himself 
and the preachers of the city have exerted themselves 
to the ntmost to have everything in readiness. The 
Tabernacle never looked more beautifnl. There is a 
large platform for the preachers, organ, and choir, and 
back of it in large letters, which can be read from the 
street, "Holiness to the Lord." In the centre of 
the Tabernacle are suspended the British flag and the 
Stars and Stripes, the latter furnished us by the United 
States consul. The ground is hard and smooth, 
covered with very white wheat straw, seated with 
cane-bottom chairs, and lighted by thirty-two large, 
square, glass lanterns, hung on bamboo poles. 

The first service was at half-j^ast seven this evening. 
There was a good attendance, many having come eleven 
days before Conference to be present at these meetings. 
Among them are Rev. S. P. Jacobs and wife, formerly 
of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rev. Mr. Stone and Avife, of 
Ohio, all now at work in Calcutta ; our young brethren 
Stephens and Kidder, who left their studies to come to 
Lidia at William Taylor's last call for men ; Rev. and 
Mrs, Osborn from Madras, and Mrs. Amanda Smith, 
besides others, better known to the churches of Lidia 
than America. As we looked at these precious 
brothers and sisters, we prayed that the glory of the 
Lord might fill the Tabernacle as it had done on many 
camp-grounds on the far away Western Continent; 
and that these brave Americans who had left their 
goodly inheritance for the sake of Christ, might feel the 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 155 

flame of the Holy Ghost descendmg and consuming 
their willing sacrifice. Cowper's hymn, "There is a 
fountain filled with blood," was sung, and Mr. Jacobs 
offered prayer. Mr. Inskip read Isaiali liii., and made 
some appropriate general remarks, without preaching 
a sermon, and in the way so often owned of God, in- 
vited the people forward to seek definitely heart- 
cleansing. The first to respond was Mrs. Atkinson, 
who had come with her pastor, Brother Jacobs, from 
Calcutta, one thousand four hundred and nine miles, 
lonofino- for a clean heart. Others went forward with 
surprising readiness, entered into gospel rest, tlirougli 
faith in the blood of Christ, and left the Tabernacle 
rejoicing. 

SABBATH TABERiq'ACLE SERVICES. 

Dec. 5. At Poona the Tabernacle was so comfort- 
able at eleven o'clock, the first Sunday service here was 
announced for the same hour, that it might not con- 
flict with the Sunday-schools and early services in the 
churches. We walked a mile and arrived covered 
with perspiration to find the sun shining fearfully hot 
tin'ough the single white canvas roof. The gentlemen 
were obliged to wear their hats during the service to 
prevent sunstroke. Mr. Inskip, who was too brave to 
succurgb to the heat, preached a good sermon from 
Isaiah liii. 5, but it was too hot to remain longer, and 
the altar service was omitted. Mr. Wood preached in 
the evening with much energy and jDOwer, a clear and 
argumentative discourse. Mr. Inskip followed in one 
of his inimitable exhortations, happy, solemn, pointed, 
full of wit and pathos. The people seemed much 
moved, and many came forward. 



156 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

NOCTURNAL YISITOES. 

Monday, Dec. 6. The mosquitos appear to be hold- 
ing a convention in Bombay, and to have chosen our 
room for their place of rendezvous. We thought we 
had seen a good many of these little musical surgeons 
in New Jersey and Maryland, but we have learned 
our mistake. For numbers, for shrill voices, sharp 
lancets, and poisonous mixtures, the Indian mosquito 
deserves the palm. They are sagacious creatures, and 
find weak points in our lace fortification which no 
human being would detect. We decidedly objected 
to being sung to sleep last night, and before the mos- 
quitos succeeded in doing it, a brisk lizard about five 
inches in length, rattled along the wall, darted up the 
ceiling, and hung from the rafters over our heads. We 
let him stay, — the ceiling was only twenty-four feet 
high, and we had nothing that w^ould reach him. 

The second time we rose to battle the enemy which 
had invaded our intrenchments, a mouse jumped from 
our cot and sat on the washstand, but it was very shy, 
and departed without force. A little later we were 
awakened by the sound of water pouring in our room, 
Looking out we saw, by the dim light of the early 
morning, a great black man, almost nude, with a puffed 
out goat-skin as black as himself slung across his back, 
emptying its contents into our Avater-jar. This w^as 
the bhisti who had brought some cool water for our 
morning bath. He left as silently as he came, and we 
composed ourselves for a little more sleej) ; but sud- 
denly were aroused by hearing some animal scamper- 
ing about the floor. Our shouts only made the creature 
more lively. It commenced a series of gyrations around 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 157 

our bedstead that would have astonished a circus -per- 
former, though we are not very capable judges as we 
never went to a circus, and only form our opinion from 
the posters. At last the nondescript sprang upon the 
window-sill, where it could be better seen by its audi- 
ence. Some one bounded from the bed and seized the 
umbrella, when it gave a jump and lighted on the 
ground sixty feet below the window, and ran away. It 
was the " varigose," a species of rat, the size of a half- 
grown cat, with long neck and legs, and, we afterwards 
learned, is disposed to fight ; its bite is quite poison- 
ous, and sometimes will never heal. We have seen 
wharf rats, musk rats, and house rats, and decidedly 
prefer them all to Indian rats. 

Were we to describe other visitors to our room, 
little and big, we fear some good i^eople would think 
us capable of exaggeration, so we forbear to speak of 
five kinds of ants, two kinds of birds, some large mice 
or small rats, a great wolf-dog, and some impolite bugs, 
beside the bearer, khansama, khitmatga, and matir 
(the last four were native servants). We gratefully 
record that we were not visited by a deadly cobra or 
any other snake, but our small experience has enabled 
us to sympathize with missionaries as never before. 
Doors and windows must be left open in this hot 
climate, and such visitors cannot be wholly excluded. 

mohammeda:n^ zenanas. 

Tuesday, Dec. 7. This afternoon we went with 
Mrs. Mody to visit some of her Mohammedan zenanas 
(zen, woman ; zenanas, apartments for women in India). 
Mrs. Mody is emj^loyed by the "Indian Female N"or- 
mal School and Instruction Society of England," 



158 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

which is, we think, the only society engaged in zenana 
woi'k in Bombay. " The Woman's Board of Missions " 
has a medical work in this city under the suj^erin- 
tendence of Miss Sarah F. Norris, M. D., and a few of 
the members of our Methodist churches are voluntarily 
doing some zenana teaching. Probably there are 
Christian ladies of other denominations who do the 
same, but there is a large and interesting field here 
that needs occupying. 

We called at six homes, though at only two build- 
ings. The inhabitants of each house would form quite 
a settlement. On the first floor were shops, stables, 
and the very poorest joeople. The families on the 
second floor appeared a little more comfortable. Mrs. 
Mody's zenana pu23ils on the third floor, being the 
wives and daughters of clerks and small tradesmen, 
their apartments rose above the dirt and squalor to 
comparative comfort. In the first zenana were three 
young women, probably the wives of one man. They 
were bright, j^retty little women, though one had her 
teeth painted black and black circles around her eye- 
lashes. Another had her finger-nails and the palms of 
her hands stained vermilion. Otherwise they were 
neat in their attire, with more clothing and less 
jewelry than the Hindoos. They seemed very glad to 
see us, for each visit of the zenana teacher forms an 
episode in their monotonous lives. They showed us 
the black cloak and veil in which they go to mosque; 
they seldom go elsewhere, and the most they see of 
the outside world is from the lattice of their Avindows. 

One of them read in Gujerat a part of the third 
chapter of John, containing the visit of Nicodemus to 
Christ. We exj)lained from our own ex23erience what 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 159 

it is to be born again and have our hearts made pure 
through faith in the blood of Christ. After they had 
sung a translation of the hjinn : — 

" Here we suffer grief and pain; 
Here we meet to part again." 

we said, " We want to meet you in heaven." One of 
them replied, " If God makes my heart as you said, I 
shall meet you there." 

BISHOP MERKILL AT THE TABERNACLE. 

Feiday, Dec. 10. Bishop Merrill arrived in Bom- 
bay Tuesday, after holding the Norway and German 
Conferences, presiding at the annual meeting of the 
Bulgarian Methodist preachers, and visiting Palestine 
and Egypt. He was at the Tabernacle Wednesday 
evening, and his prayer for those bowed at the front 
forms showed his solemn, earnest symj^athy with the 
great work which has brought us here, and gave assur- 
ance that his visit will be of much sj^iritual profit to 
the church in India. 

The attendance at the tabernacle services is growing 
larger each day, and increasing solemnity and deej) 
conviction j^rove the presence and power of God. 
Bishop Merrill preached an excellent sermon from 
Hebrews vii. 25, at half-j^ast seven this evening, to the 
largest audience yet assembled in the Tabernacle. He 
called Hebrews " an inspired commentary on the law 
of Moses," and showed the tAVO-fold design of Christ's 
atonement upon earth and his intercession in heaven, 
to reconcile the unconverted to God, and to purify 
their hearts, that they may be fitted to be with him 
where he is and behold liis glory. The bishop has 
wonderful power in unfolding the Scriptures, and, 



160 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

without anecdote, illustration, or rhetorical display, 
his sermon was intensely interesting, instructive, and 
convincing. 

A SUISDAY AMOKG SOLDIEES. 

Sunday, Dec. 12. The Tabernacle looks as though 
it were in the midst of a military encampment in 
time of war. Battery E, from Afghanistan, arrived 
last night, and encamped on the Esplanade around us. 
Hundreds of horses are tethered and feeding a little 
to the rear of the Tabernacle. They are eating hay 
and straw, for the Esj^lanade at this season of the 
year is almost as barren as the desert of Sahara. 
Small camp-fires smoke here and there where attend- 
ants are cooking breakfast. A number of rifled can- 
non flank our place of worshi]?, while soldiers in 
uniform stroll about, or rest on their army blankets 
within their tents. Several bhistis are drawing water 
from the great tanks, to the left, and sprinkling the 
ground to make it cooler, and obviate the dust caused 
by such a concourse. 

The first Tabernacle service, at half-past seven a.m., 
was a love-feast, such as we are accustomed to in 
America. It was inspiring to listen to the testimonies 
of those who had been converted or wholly sanctified 
during the past week. We shall not forget the joy 
that beamed on the face of a large, warm-hearted pilot, 
who was Brother McDonald's host when we first 
arrived in Bombay; and was converted Thursday 
evening. The love-feast was succeeded by a service 
in the vernacular, conducted by Rev. George Bowen, 
and a very interesting children's meeting in the after- 
noon by Mrs. Inskip. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 161 

A strange concourse assembled within and around 
the Tabernacle at night, — survivors of the terrible 
campaign in Afghanistan ; soldiers whose ranks had 
been decimated during the war in Zululand ; Arabs 
and Afghans, Malays, Tamils, Parsees, Hindoos, and 
Eurasians : Portuguese, English, and American sailors, 
midshij^men, and members of the garrison at Colaba ; 
and some whose strange physique and stranger cos- 
tume we could not locate ; but all belonging to the 
same human family, of which God is the Father and 
Christ the Elder Brother. 

The curtains were raised to admit the cool night 
air, and j^ermit those standing about to hear the 
singing and witness the worshi23 of the true God, 
though they could not understand the words sj^oken. 
I^ot withstanding the heterogeneous audience, there 
was the utmost quiet and attention. Mr. Inskip, in 
his sermon on " God hath from the beoinnino^ chosen 
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit 
and belief of the truth," made little of creeds, and 
much of experimental salvation ; little of human 
reason, but much of submission to God. ' He depre- 
cated waiting for more conviction, and urged instan- 
taneous decision; not penances, but trust in Christ; 
and, best of all, not reliance on man, but on the 
power of the Holy Ghost. The after service will 
never be forgotten. Soldiers in red, white, and blue 
uniforms, sailors nearly wrecked by rum and tobacco, 
natives and Eurasians, some of the loveliest spirits in 
the Christian community, and some who had been 
worse than heathen, filled the centre of the Taber- 
nacle, which was made one vast altar of prayer. The 
sentiments, impressions, and emotions inspired by 



162 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

this scene, no language can exj^ress. All felt the 
influence of the Holy Sj^irit, and many, we trust, were 
saved. 

MOHAMMEDAK MOHURRUM. 

Monday, Dec. 13. The Mohammedan festival ter- 
minated to-day in the " Mohurrum," or great proces- 
sion. The followers of Mohammed have been divided 
since his death into two sects, the Shiaks, and the 
Sunnis, frequently called "the sect of Ali," and the 
" the sect of Omar." The division was caused by a 
dispute with reference to the legal succession to his 
temporal and spiritual power. Mohammed, having 
died without male issue, Ali, the husband of Fatima, 
Mohammed's daughter, claimed to be the heir, but 
was opposed by Ayesha, the prophet's widow ; and 
the Moslems elected a triumvirate, of which Omar 
was chief. After a series of battles and intrigues 
Ali fell, pierced with the darts of the Sunnis or adhe- 
rents of Omar. Ali left three sons, one of whom, 
Hassan, succeeded him for a short time, but eventu- 
ally all were slain. 

Twelve hundred years have passed away, but the 
ancient feud has never been healed. Each year the 
Shiaks, or followers of Ali, close the annual festival 
with a night of lamentation. The "mourning ones" 
gathered last evening in a great hall, where one of our 
company was permitted to witness an indescribable 
scene of melancholy and woe. Hassan's death was 
represented by a woman upon a horse, with the pros- 
trate form of her husband covered with blood, followed 
by a horse with an empty saddle, and preceded by 
thirty men, who marched around the arena screaming 
"Hassan, Hassan!" and beating their naked breasts 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 163 

until the blood flowed ; and some fainted, and were 
carried away. 

This afternoon we went to the rooms of the " Bible 
and Tract Society" to see the procession of the 
Sunnis or "rejoicing ones." The "Bible House " is 
at the corner of the two principal native streets ; the 
procession was two hours in passing this point, "com- 
ing down one street and going up the other. These 
streets were crowded with many thousands of all 
classes, gathered to witness the j^erf ormances of this 
strange, grotesque, inhuman procession. All the fan- 
tastics, horribles, and masquerades of foolish ones in 
America combined would give no idea of a Mohur- 
rum. We never want to see another. 

This one, however, opened our eyes to the darkness 
and degradation, the beastliness and demon-likeness, 
to which the religion of the false prophet has reduced 
its adherents. Strong English military and police 
forces were j^resent to prevent conflict between the 
two factions, although none in the procession seemed 
ugly (all liquor-shops were closed during the Mohur- 
rum), but simply bent on savage enjoyment. Some 
had their nude bodies horribly painted in stripes of 
black and yellow, and wore a yellow hood, with horns 
on the head ; some were jDainted green, others white, 
with black and red stripes, and some were oiled and 
covered with ashes from head to feet. Companies of 
twenty or more, dressed in white, after water was 
poured on the dusty street, ran and threw them- 
selves on the ground, tumbling over and over each 
other, until they were covered with mud. 

A hundred and sixty-six " taboots " or paper and 
tinsel figures of mosques, birds, and animals, some of 



164 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

them twenty feet long, were borne on the heads of men, 
or on carts drawn by bullocks. One was a model of 
the " Taj " at Agra, and was really beautiful. These 
taboots were preceded by priests, bearing censers of 
burning incense. Many spectators rushed into the 
procession, threw an offering into a taboot, and 
anointed their foreheads with ashes from the censer. 
One taboot represented an enormous goose with ribs 
of bamboo covered with paper, and stuffed with men 
and boys. A cart bore a pole on which several nearly 
nude gymnasts performed alternately. Six hundred 
and sixty " punjahs " of peacock's feathers, flowers, 
palm-branches, and sticks of sugar-cane were carried 
by these dancing, grinning, singing, shouting, tum- 
bling, and boxing Moslems. The procession proceeded 
to the bay, and the ceremonies ended by casting all 
the taboots and punjahs into the water. 

SOUTH INDIA CONFERENCE. 

Wednesday, Dec. 5. Bishop S. M. Merrill opened 
the annual session of the South India Conference 
at eleven a.m. in Grant Road Church. This Con- 
ference is composed of young men. Only one of its 
forty members and eight probationers has seen fifty 
years. All are present except Mr. Robinson of Ran- 
goon, and Mr. Goodwin, absent on a sea voyage for his 
health. Some have come one thousand four hundred 
miles to attend Conference, and one preacher, L. R. 
Janney of Kurrache, two thousand three hundred and 
eighty-one miles, and while here his youngest child 
has died. 

Rev. William Taylor laid the foundation for this 
Conference in his three years' labor in India, in 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 165 

1872-5. His preaching was largely to the Eurasians, 
a race sprung from the intermingling of natives and 
Euroi^eans during the past two hundred years. Most 
of them speak the English language and one or more 
of the native dialects. No mission had been organized 
among them, and they were j^ractically as much with- 
out God as the heathen until the commencement of 
Mr. Taylor's labors. Some, it is true, had been 
reached by the missionaries of the parent Society, 
but their field is in the Northwest Provinces, where 
there are comparatively few Eurasians, and it is 
almost impossible to combine English with native 
work, for which nearly all the missions to this country 
are designed. Many of these Eurasians are fine- 
looking and intelligent. They unite much of the 
energy of the Anglo-Saxon with the politeness, and the 
aestlietic, and musical taste of the Oriental. Three or 
four of the most talented and useful ministers of the 
South India Conference are from this people. Most 
of its members are Americans, but it has some from 
the J3ritish Isles, and a few East Indians, and natives. 
They labor chiefly among the English-speaking peo- 
ple, still there are some engaged exclusively in native 
work. All in English work depend upon their con- 
gregations for support, the same as at home. They 
are real moral heroes, often going where there is no 
church and laboring with faith and success in forming 
one. A good number of them stop at the "Coffee- 
Rooms," affording us an oportunity to converse with 
them freely : they are cheerful, hopeful, and intensely 
devoted to their work. Rev. C. B. Ward, most prom- 
inent among those engaged in native -^vork, has a 
field among the Telegus, comprising several hundred 



166 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

square miles, and two Faith Orphanages, dependent 
upon voluntary contributions for maintenance. The 
Conference has received three strong men from those 
sent by the Missionary Society of the M. E. Church ; 
Revs. Dr. Thoburn, D. O. Fox, and W. J. Gladwin. 

The senior member of the Conference is Rev. George 
Bowen, editor of the " Bombay Guardian," a weekly 
paper. Mr. Bowen came to India thirty-three years, 
ago under the auspices of the American Board, and, 
though worn almost to a skeleton, has never left 
his work to visit his native land. He gave his life 
to India, and here he designs to finish his work and 
die, but he expects to live to see a great ingathering 
of the natives before being called to rest. No Chris- 
tian man in Bombay or India has a stronger hold 
upon the natives. His pure, unselfish life, his thor- 
ough education and unj^retentious manner, command 
their resj^ect, and his fidelity and kindness have won 
their love. Some Hindoos would gladly worship him 
as the prince of " fakirs " and the Catholicsj did he 
belong to them, would not wait until death to canonize 
him. A rich Parsee, as a testimonial of Mr. Bowen's 
devotion to the sick and dying, left him ten thousand 
rupees, all of which he gave toward the Methodist 
church in Calcutta. A book might easily be written 
on the South India Conference, though neither the 
Conference nor its self-supporting churches scattered 
over India had any existence ten years ago. Truly, 
" what hath God wrought ! " 

CLOSING TABERI^ACLE SERVICES. 
Sunday, Dec. 19. There was no service in the 
Tabernacle this morning, it being Conference Sunday. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 167 

At the close of the Conference sermon, Mr. Peters, a 
native converted under William Taylor, was ordained 
deacon by Bishop Merrill. He came from prison to 
Conference, having been arrested for preaching in the 
streets of Madras. Though illegally imprisoned, 
Brother Peters joyfully served out his term of seven 
days, and then, like Peter of old, returned to his street 
preaching, deeming it right to hearken unto God 
rather than unto men. 

Bishop Merrill preached the last sermon in the Tab- 
ernacle at six P.M., from the text "Now shall the prince 
of this world be cast out." He ably argued from the 
Scriptures the personality of Satan, in refutation of 
the pliilosophy of modern semi-infidels who make 
Satan only a personification of the princij^le of evil. 
Mr. Inskip followed the sermon in a thrilling exhor- 
tation, and a great crowd came forward > seeking par- 
don or purity. The prayers and testimonies which 
closed the Tabernacle services, show^ed the depth and 
power of the w^ork wrought during the fifteen days of 
the meeting. 

CHILDKEN'S MEETINGS m BOMBAY. 

MoxDAY, Dec. 20. Mrs. Inskip conducted four 
interesting and useful children's meetings in the Tab- 
ernacle. The first was at four p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11. 
There ^vas a large attendance. Mr. Gardner led the 
singing, and Mr. Osborn, who is always at home 
among the children, offered prayer, and the writer 
made a brief address. Mrs. Amanda Smith sung " I'm 
the child of a king " with a beauty and pathos impos- 
sible to imitate. Many children and youth responded 
to Mrs. Inskij^'s exhortation to come and give their 



168 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

hearts to God. Quite a numbei* professed conversion. 
One Eurasian lad, as soon as Jesus converted liim, 
stood on the bench, sung a hymn in Mahratti and 
urged the natives to come to Christ. They appeared 
deeply interested and gathered more closely around 
the centre of the Tabernacle. 

At' the second meeting on Sunday several native 
youth sought the Lord, although surrounded by their 
unbelieving countrymen, who pressed toward the 
altar to see what Avas going on. Mr. Vardon, a 
young local preacher, who speaks four of the native 
languages, told them that the children felt they were 
sinners and were coming to Christ to be saved. The 
third meeting, the following Saturday, was a melting 
service, many children and youth testifying for Jesus. 
Mrs. McDonald made an address to the mothers 
which those present will not forget. Her solemn, 
earnest, sympathetic manner gave weight to every 
word. She pointed out the dangers and difficulties 
that environ the children of Christian parents in this 
land where they are so largely under the influence of 
native servants. We wish that her remarks with 
regard to sending children to dancing-schools, too com- 
mon among nominal Christians here as well as at home 
could be heard by every mother in Christendom. 

At the fourth children's meeting, Mrs. Amanda 
Smith made an address and sung a hymn, the prin- 
cipal word in the refrain being " sunshine." There 
was sunshine in the words, more sunshine in the 
singer's face, and her tones indicated most sunshine 
in her heart. Several adults sought the Lord, and a 
large number of young people gave their names, who 
had been converted during the meetings. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 169 

This morning the Tabernacle was taken down and 
repacked for shipment. Thirty-four English services 
have been held in it while pitched on the Esj^lanade, 
beside a number of services for the natives, under 
charge of Mr. Bowen. 

AT^ india:n^ conference loye-feast. 

Tuesday, Dec. 21. Conference closed last evening. 
Prior to reading the aj^pointments. Dr. Thoburn con- 
ducted a jn-ecious love-feast. It was humbling and 
encouraging to listen to the testimonies of this band 
of youthful and devoted ministers, as they told how 
God had refreshed, strengthened, or cleansed their 
hearts during the Tabernacle services. All had bowed 
at its altar of prayer. Those who had been walking 
in the light of heart-purity received a fresh anointing ; 
those whose assurance had grown dim, a blessed re- 
newal ; and some, who had not known the experience 
of purity, sought and found a clean heart. 

At the close of the love-feast Bishop Merrill made 
an appropriate address, and read the appointments. 
We heard no murmuring, saw no dissatisfied faces, 
though the bishop said he did not like to read some 
of them. One sent Brother Shaw to Lahore, in the 
north of India, nearly two thousand miles from his 
last appointment, where there is no church to wel- 
come him, he being sent to organize a new society. 
To the condolence of friends he replied, " I shall take 
the nucleus of a church with me in my wife and seven 
children!" 

Among the resolutions of thanks which usually 
form part of the closing ceremonies of an annual 
conference, we gratefully record the following, intro- 



170 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

duced by Rev. Dennis Osborne, presiding elder of the 
Allahabad District, and on wliich the bishop requested 
the 23rivilege of voting : — 

(1) " Whereas our beloved brethren from America, 
Eev. Messrs. J. S. Inskip, W. McDonald, and J. A. 
Wood, have been laboring in our midst in a series of 
special religious services, we hereby express our hearty 
ai3preciation of the benefits which have resulted from 
their labors, and that we tender to them and their 
comj^anions, our hearty acknowledgment of their ser- 
vices. 

(2) " That we pray for the divine blessing to accom- 
pany them as they go from hence, and crown their 
labors from place to place, and in due time safely 
conduct them back to their native land." 

BANYAN-TREES AND HINDOO BURNING-GROUND. 

One of the widest and finest streets of Bombay ex- 
tends the whole length of the city along the Arabian 
Sea. In some places it is beautifully shaded by wide- 
spreading banyan-trees, which look as though they had 
been used for gallows, and hundreds of weather-beaten 
ropes, about two yards long, hung from their branches, 
swaying in the sea breeze. These are not ropes, but 
brown rootlets, that grow from the under side of the 
branches, and never have any leaves ; but if not cut 
off (as these have been) will reach the ground, take 
root, and gradually form new trunks, until one tree 
will make quite a forest. We saw such a tree near 
the soldiers' barracks at Colaba. 

When riding along this street, we were surprised 
by the odor of roasting flesh, though no dwellings 
were near, but two or three cemeteries. One is the 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 171 

English burying-ground, another that of the Moham- 
medans, who have too much of the Bible in tlieir 
Koran not to hold sacred the dust which God will 
raise at the last day. The third inclosure, with a high 
wall, and heavy iron doors, is the Hindoo burning- 
ground. A small procession approached one of the 
doors, with a body wrapped in a sheet, covered with 
flowers, and carried on a bier, and was readily ad- 
mitted; but we were not allowed to enter. The 
gentlemen, however, found a place on the wall, where 
they saw the cremation ceremonies. Within the 
ground were several iron cages of various sizes, those 
for adults holding about half a cord of wood, and in 
some were bodies nearly consumed. Wood for all 
purposes being sold by weight in India, the relatives 
first purchased some, which was weighed out propor- 
tionate to the size of the body, and a layer arranged 
on the lower bars of the cage. Then the body was 
put in, covered with roses, asnfHihe wood piled" around 
and above it. The pile was then sprinkled with some 
combustible fluid, and a fire lighted underneath. In 
a moment all was in a blaze, and in half an hour only 
a few ashes remained. While it was burning, the 
friends wej^t and wailed, and rung little bells. The 
ashes are frequently put into a jar and carried home, 
to be finally cast into the Ganges, Nerbudda, or some 
other sacred river. 

As in Christian lands, the funeral expenses are light 
or heavy according to the wealth of the deceased. The 
rich use expensive sandal-wood for the burning, and 
employ wallers or hired mourners to lament around 
their dwelling, making the nights hideous for a month 
after the death of one of the family. 



172 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Our ride was continued to the quiet and beautiful 
premises of the Scotch Mission, where Mr. and Mrs. 
McDonald have been kindly entertained by Rev. Pro- 
fessor Blake of the Free Scotch Presbyterian Church. 
The kindness and fraternity displayed by the mission- 
aries of this church in every mission station we have 
visited have greatly endeared them to us. 

HOUSEKEEPING IN THE CARS. 

The friends in Bombay have been very kind in enter- 
taining and co-operating with us, and have made us 
feel very much at home with them. Through the 
kindness of Brother Lyle, an engineer on the road, we 
have a whole second-class car to ourselves. It is 
divided into two compartments. The front room is 
occupied by Bishop Merrill and Brotlier Inskip and 
wife, the rear one by Brother McDonald and wife, Mr. 
Wood, and the wn-iter. Here we expect to keep house 
until Friday, when we hope to reach Allahabad, eight 
hundred and forty-five miles to the north, in the. cen- 
tre of India. Missionaries never take first-class cars, 
and frequently take third-class if the journey is not a 
long one. The second-class fare is only half as much 
as first-class, and the third less than half that of the 
second-class. Only the first-class have cushions. The 
third-class have no glass windows to exclude the cold 
night air, and none of the cars have the comforts of 
an ordinary American passenger car, not to speak of a 
Pullman parlor coach. 

The amount of luggage carried by an East Indian 
traveler would astonish any baggage-master in America, 
and would provoke the question, " Don't you wish to 
charter a baggage-car ? " Each of us has a great roll 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 173 

of bedding called a " rhizi," consisting of a pillow and 
comfortable, for all who travel in India, whether 
natives or foreigners, take their beds with them. Our 
"tiffin" baskets were loaded with eatables by our 
Bombay friends. When we left Bombay, at half-past 
five P.M., the atmosphere was uncomfortably wai-m, 
but before midnight, as we ascended the Ghauts, we 
were thankful for all our bedding. Oh, how our bones 
did ache ! We seemed to realize as never before tliat 
we had two hundred and eight in our body, and won- 
dered if they were all pricking through the skin. 
Cushionless benches only fifteen inches wide do not 
make good beds, and we imagined boards seasoned 
harder here than in the temperate zones. We rested 
on one side until we could endure the soreness no 
longer, then rose and tried the other ; when both were 
past enduring more, we tried lying Avith our face to 
the ceiling, but our back had no greater powers of 
endurance, and we sat up and waited for the day. 
Our cold breakfast was seasoned by a good appetite. 
The day was comfortably warm. Our j^rovisions held 
out until the second evening, when, on our arrival at 
Jubbulpore, the station-master and his wife brought 
us some hot tea and a nice supper, which was truly 
appreciated. 

We were weary and cold, and expected to sleep the 
second night, though it was necessary to have more 
over us and less on the benches. Wrapj^ed in over- 
coats, shawls, lap-rugs, and comfortables, we could not 
keep warm. It was the coldest night of our lives. 
If any one thinks it is never cold in India, let him take 
a night ride northwa^'d after sweating three weeks in 
Bombay, and he will wish for clothing apj)ropriate to 



174 ENGLAND AND THE OKIENT. 

the frigid zone. The gentlemen did not endure it as 
well as their weaker associates. They tried wrapping 
themselves in their "rhizis," after the similitude of 
mummies, but in vain. Their bed was like the one 
described by Isaiah, " Shorter than a man can stretch 
himself on it, and the covering narrower than that he 
wrap himself in it." They walkecl up and down their 
narrow quarters, stamped their cold feet, got out at 
every station and took a little run on the platform, 
and didn't freeze to death. The long night slowly 
wore away, the sun gilded the east, and we welcomed 
its rays, bringing us warmth and comfort, and at half- 
past seven arrived in Allahabad a cold, tired, dusty, 
hungry set of travelers, and found Rev. Messrs. D. 
Osborne and J. T. Deatker waiting to welcome us to 
hospitable homes. 

PLEASURES OF TRAVEL IN INDIA. 

Though we did not enjoy our housekeeping arrange- 
ments at night, we did enjoy the variety and beauty 
of the landscape during the day. Fields of cotton, 
and castor oil beans, and sugar-cane, were succeeded 
by various strange grains, Egyptian corn, pulse, dahl, 
and gram, and these, as we reached the more northern 
23lateau, by great fields of wheat and mustard. A 
variety of parrots and other birds, with brilliant plu- 
mage, sat on the telegraph wires, flocks of peacocks 
peeped from the jungle grass along the track, monkej^s 
as large as a bull-dog hung by their long tails from the 
boughs of the mango-trees, or scampered with im- 
mense bounds across the fields at the approach of our 
train, jackals j^eered from the bushes, and the beautiful, 
tall sarus in pairs stalked among the wild flowers. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 175 

These birds are nearly as large as an ostrich, with 
mottled gray and white plumage, and are not gregari- 
•ous. We saw them frequently, but seldom more tlian 
two together. We passed little ponds of water whose 
surface was as red as blood, caused by a peculiar 
funo'us coverino- the Avhole surface, and saw the native 
husbandmen at tlieir patient toil. Much of the land 
seemed very j^roductive, and with suitable imijlements 
and proper cultivation, would produce large returns. 

We passed a number of native towns and many villages, 
though the country looks less populated than in many 
parts of India. Sir Richard Temple states that there 
are 494,000 villages in British India, having 37,000,000 
of inhabited houses, besides 1,402 towns of over 10,000 
inhabitants, and 44 cities having over 50,000 people. 
The miserable aspect of most of the native villages, mere 
mud huts with thatched roofs, illy consorted with the 
beautiful fields and large herds of cattle, sheep, and 
goats. What a paradise Christianity would make of 
this region ? It is finely diversified by hill and plain, 
mountain and valley, and has some small riveil5 and 
lakes. The railroad track is very fine, having iron 
ties, and being ballasted with pounded stone. The 
stations are substantial and commodious, though there 
are ninety-eight of them between Bombay and Alla- 
habad, and all are adorned with a 2:)rofusion of culti- 
vated flowers Some of the railroads in this country 
give a j^remium to the station-master who has the 
finest and most tasteful disj^lay of flowers about the 
station. 

ALLAHABAD. 

Tuesday, Dec. 24. This is a large and beautiful 
city, situated on a plain at the confluence of the 



176 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Ganges and Jumna, two sacred rivers of the Hin- 
doos. It has a population of one hundred and 
fifty thousand, and being now the seat of govern- 
ment for the northwest provinces, is rapidly increas- 
ing. The streets are wide, straight, and smooth, 
covered with a metallic clay, and kept watered by 
bhistis, with goatskin water-bottles, and are finely 
shaded by large trees. Some avenues have four rows 
of trees, principally the " sissoon," resemlling the elm, 
and much prized by cabinet-makers, and the " neem," 
looking like our locust, but growing much larger. 
There are some jDcpul trees, but no banyans and few 
23alms. The buildings are much scattered in the Eng- 
lish quarter of the town. Even the business houses, 
the ofiices, and post-ofiice, occupy large bungalows in 
the centre of compounds with winding walks and 
drives among carefully trimmed hedges and beautiful 
plots of roses, asters, chrysanthemums, and other 
flowers. 

CHKISTMAS m INDIA. 

Saturday, Dec. 25. The Christians of India observe 
Christmas very religiously. First, there was a j^raise- 
service in the church at half-j^ast four this morning, 
nearly two hours before light. The j^uli^it was covered 
with arbor vitae and roses, the communion rail trimmed 
with fresh flowers, and everything appeared more like 
summer than Avinter, except the chilly air of the early 
morning. At eleven o'clock Mr. Inskip preached to a 
good congregation from the text, " Glory to God in 
the Highest, peace on earth, good will to men." The 
church property is very inviting and beautiful, being 
in the centre of the English town, with three streets 
nearly surrounding the large compound which con- 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 177 

tains both cliiircli and parsonage. The church is of 
red brick, with white trimmings, in a graceful style of 
architecture, and will seat about six hundred. Mr. 
Osborne, the pastor, was its architect and superin- 
tended the building. We are his guests during our 
stay in Allahabad. Our Christmas dinner was fit for 
a king; an enormous piece of roast-beef, a large 
goose, a pair of ducks, and a ham of wild boar, plum- 
pudding, rice and curry, fresh peas, new potatoes, 
lettuce, oranges, bananas, and nuts. 

AKBAR'S FORT. 

Before our Christmas dinner we took a ride of two 
miles, jDassing through Albert Park with its well 
arranged system. of irrigation, and its beautiful combi- 
nation of Oriental and European plants and flowers. In 
the centre is a fine brick hall, built in memorial of Lord 
Mayo, Governor-General of India, who was assassinated 
in 1872 by a Mohammedan convict while visiting the 
penal colony on one of the Andaman Islands. We 
rode past the fine public library, which is built of 
brick, has a high tower, and is maintained by the 
revenue derived from hair cut from the heads of pil- 
grims to the Ganges. It is free and open to all classes. 

The fort is on the bank of the Jumna near its con- 
fluence with the Ganges. We were surprised at its size, 
beauty, and strength, for it is substantially the same 
as when built by Akbar, the great and liberal Mogul 
emperor, three hundred and fifty years ago. It con- 
sists of a double quinquangular line of enormous earth- 
works, i^i'otected on the outside by heavy granite 
walls, strongly bastioned, and cost eight million five 
hundred thousand dollars. Within the fortress are 



178 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

fine gardens, large barracks of brick and stone, an 
English church, Akbar's old palace, now occupied by 
the commandant, officers' residences, and an ancient 
subterranean Hindoo temple. In the middle of the 
fort is one of Asoca's columns, Avhich was fished out 
of the mud of the Jumna. It is of fine red marble, 
perfectly sound, about forty-two feet in height and 
three in diameter, and is covered with Sanscrit 
inscriptions from the base to the top. Archaeologists 
say it dates back three hundred years before Christ. 
The superstitious natives call it "Bim Senha Sonta," 
the pestle or club of Bim "Sen, a giant of antiquity, and 
believe that with this he pounded his grain in a mortar 
yet to be found in the bed of the Jumna. 

SUBTERRANEAN TEMPLE AND BLEEDING TREE. 

A procession of Hindoo pilgrims preceded us into 
the fort, carrying wheat, oil, and marigolds to the old 
subterranean temple of "Akshai Bat." When they 
had paid their vows and departed, we went to the 
hole in the ground from whence they emerged, and 
found several priests ready to conduct us into its 
depths. We stumbled down some black, greasy, 
stone steps and entered a long, narrow passage'smell- 
ing of oil and smoke. Through this we groped our 
way for two or three hundred feet by the flickering 
light of the dim cocoanut-oil lamps carried by the 
priests. Rudely carved figures of heathen gods, 
daubed with red paint, occupied niches along the wall 
and added their horrors to the place, making it seem 
like an entrance to the infernal regions. It led to a 
large, low, dark, square room carved out, or built of 
solid stone, with great pillars supporting the rocky roof. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 179 

Hideous images of Vishnu, Siva, Gunesh, Parbutti, 
Gunputti, and gods or rather devils innumerable, con- 
fronted us wherever the miserable little lamps pene- 
trated the darkness. The central figure was the 
obscene " Linga " or principle of life, around which 
fresh rosebuds and marigolds were plentifully strewn. 
At the further end was the famous " hleeding-tree^ " a 
mere forked stumj) of a pepul-tree reaching nearly to 
the low stone roof. One of the priests said, " the tree 
was sawed off by one of the gods, ages ago before 
this temple was built, but it still retains its sap and 
vitality." They showed us some little twigs daubed 
with vermilion and oil, which they said was " blood 
oozing from the tree to atone for the sins of all who 
pray and bring their offerings to Akshai Bat." 
Thousands of poor deluded Hindoos have for hun- 
dreds of years visited this loathsome den, and paid 
their money to its filthy, lazy, lying priests, hoj)ing in 
this way to secure pardon and heaven. Near the tree 
was a narrow passage or ditch through which a man 
could barely crawl, which the priests said conducted 
to the sacred Sarasvati, or river of the gods. We did 
not care to exj^lore further, but hastened out of the 
close atmosphere of this underground abode of beastly 
degradation. The Lord pity the j^oor Hindoos, and 
hasten the light of Christianity among them. 

FAKIRS ALONG THE GANGES. 
Weditesday, Dec. 29. After the morning service 
quite a company of Mr. Osborne's guests visited the 
Ganges at a point near Akbar's Fort. Tlie bed of the 
river is about a mile and a half wide at this place, but 
in the "winter season," as this time of the year is 



180 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

called, it only flows through two channels, while the 
centre of the river is dry sand, and the channels 
change more or less every year. The bank is fortified 
by a high levee to j^revent the city of Allahabad from 
being inundated during the southwest monsoon. 

On the levee were four fakirs (fa-keers) or devotees. 
One of them, a very old man with long white hair 
and beard,- sat on an altar of unhewn stones plastered 
with mud about four feet square. Here he has sat for 
fifty-five years, day and night, in the sun and rain, the 
heat and cold. We say cold, — it seldom freezes in this 
latitude, but the nights are so chilly that we require 
nearly as many blankets as in New England in winter. 
He sits on a little rug, and has a thin muslin cloth 
wrapped about him, both anatto color, the sacred dye 
of the Hindoos. At midnight he leaves his rock and 
goes down the steep bank to bathe in the sacred river. 
Two priests bring him food, wait upon him, and take 
the money freely given him by pilgrims to the Ganges. 
He is regarded as so holy that giving to him is giving 
to God ; he is consequently one of the richest men in 
Allahabad. We w^ere cautioned not to approach very 
near his altar with our shoes on, and were invited to 
converse with him. He said he spent his time in 
prayer and contemplation of the supreme being. Mr. 
Flemming, who accompanied us, said he had known 
of his being there for twenty-three years, and his 
paper, certified by government, stated that he had sat 
there since 1825. 

Near him was a much younger man, who had taken 
a vow not to sit or lie down for twelve years. He 
had stood only two years, but his legs were terribly 
swollen, and the skin on one so broken that it had to be 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 181 

bound lip. The only rest lie obtained was by leaning- 
over a little swing. Another young fellow, who had 
devoted himself to laziness and nudity, sat on the 
ground, his head shaved, and covered with ashes from 
head to foot. It was sad to see men to whom God 
has given life, health, and perfect bodies, abusing 
tliem, and spending their time in idleness, j^retending 
they are thus fitting themseh^es for heaven. Still, we 
cannot help the thought that these ignorant, debased 
heathen are far less culpable with their dim light, than 
those men in Christian lands who spend their time in 
dram-shoj^s, burning out their brains Avith alcohol, 
blunting their moral sensibilities, and destroying both 
soul and body. 

BAPTIST Am) imiON ZENANA MISSIONS. 

Feiday, Dec. 31. This morning we accepted an 
invitation, to breakfast with the Misses Gordon, of 
the Baptist Zenana Mission. We found six ladies 
occupying a delightful home, engaged in the blessed 
employment of carrying instruction to the secluded 
wives and mothers of this land. These humble and 
earnest workers have attended our meetings regularly, 
and souo'ht and obtained the clearer lio^ht of Christian 
]3urity. AYe would gladly have accompanied them to 
some of the heathen homes, but our time in Allahabad 
was limited, and we had another engagement for the 
afternoon. 

Among the many women's missionary societies 
which have sprung into active existence in the 
United States during the last twenty years, the old- 
est and one of the most efficient is the " Union For- 
eign Missionary Society," organized in 1861, of which 



182 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Mrs. T. C Doremus was president and the moving 
spirit until her death two years ago. 

This society embraces all denominations, and works 
independently of church boards. It now has twenty- 
nine ladies and sixty native helpers at work in India, 
beside others in Smyrna, China, Japan, and Cyprus. 
These unmarried ladies, in going to distant lands, 
establishing missions, purchasing and superintending 
the erection and maintenance of homes for themselves 
and their corps of workers, without male assistance, 
display an energy and heroism which ought to make 
every American woman jiroud of her sex. These 
ladies have adopted the words and exhibit the spirit 
of Mary Lyon, as recorded on her monument in the 
grounds of Mount Holyoke Seminary: '•'• I fear noth- 
ing in the universe except that I shall not know and 
do my duty.'''' 

Miss Lathrop, superintendent of the work at Alla- 
habad, and Miss Ward, of Cawnpore, called and in- 
vited us to visit their mission. The neatness, beauty, 
and substantial character of the buildings spoke of 
the business capability of the energetic superintendent. 
The delightful home-like dinner with these American 
ladies made us feel almost at home once more. We 
accompanied them to some of their zenanas and 
schools, and learned a little of thS magnitude of the 
work in which they are engaged. They have four 
hundred and fifty pupils in their schools in this city, 
beside over two hundred zenanas, or homes, visited 
twice each week. The society now has four homes 
in India, ^ — at Calcutta, Rajpore, Cawnpore, and Alla- 
habad, — and from these their teachers go out to 
nearly two thousand women and girls. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 183 

We visited two families living in mud huts reached 
by narrow lanes, and found in one of these poor places, 
destitute of furniture save two cane stools and a few 
copper dishes, a young w^oman pupil who can read the 
New Testament in two languages, and evidently loves 
and trusts the Lord Jesus. Another home was one of 
wealth. Though the husband was a lawyer, and had 
renounced caste and idolatry, and embraced the 
Brahmo Somaj, he enjoyed the beautiful drawing- 
room with his male friends, while his pretty young 
wife was secluded in her cheerless zenana ai3artments ; 
and her only pleasures consisted in putting on her 
jewels, valued at thousands of rupees, until the zenana 
lady opened to her the doorway to a better life in 
religious and secular instruction. She can now read 
and write, and is studying geography. 

THE MEETING IN ALLAHABAD. 

The weather here is cool, and the air clear and 
bracing. Our meeting opened on Sunday, the 26thj 
at eleven o'clock, with a full house. Mr. Inskip, as 
usual, preached the opening sermon. He had much 
liberty, and the way of the Lord had evidently been 
prepared by the pastor, for there was' a prompt move 
on the part of the church. The long communion-rail 
and front pews were crowded, and several testified to 
having found purity at the first service. At four p.m. 
Mrs. Inskij) conducted a children's meeting, and we 
have seldom seen a more affecting service. At each 
succeeding service the meeting grew better and better, 
On Wednesday there were twelve ministers at Mr, 
Osborne's hospitable table, who had come to attend 
the meetings, and all were richly blest. The wife of 



184 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Mr. Bowser, on# of the young preachers, arrived from 
America last week, and immediately solight heart- 
purity to fully qualify her to work with her husband 
in India. 

The watch-night service, Friday night, commenced 
at eight o'clock, and was well attended to its close. 
A number of precious young people were converted, 
and the new year opened with the testimonies of new 
converts and rejoicing believers, saved from indwell- 
ing sin. It was the most beautiful, solemn, and joy- 
ous watch-night service we ever attended, and really 
seemed the shortest, though it commenced so early. 
New Year's Day, like Christmas, is observed relig- 
iously, it being customary in India to attend church 
on that day. The morning congregation was as large 
as on the sabbath, and many, including several sol- 
diers, sought to be cleansed from all sin, eighteen 
kneeling at the altar, in their red coats, at one time. 

The children's meeting on the second sabbath was 
even better than the first. Whole families were con- 
verted. We have seldom seen more intelligent action 
on the i^art of the young. The missionaries of the 
Baptist, Presbyterian, and Union missions attended 
the services, and participated in the blessed outpouring 
of the Holy Spirit. The last Sunday morning sermon 
was followed by a precious love-feast, in which young 
and old bore witness to the grace of God. The love- 
feast was succeeded by a communion service, and we 
were pleased to find no fermented wine at the table 
of the Lord. 

The series of twenty meetings closed Sunday even- 
ing, with a number seeking the Lord, and a glorious 
tide of religious interest. Mr. Osborne, the ]3residing 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 185 

elder, said that his highest anticipations had been more 
than realized ; he exj^ected many would be saved, but 
not that the work would be so general ; he did not 
think there were more than three or four, out of about 
a hundred and fifty members of this church, but what 
had sought a clean heart ; and a number of backsliders 
had been reclaimed ; and others, for whom many 
prayers had been offered, had been brought to Christ. 

THE FAMINE DISTRICT. 

Monday, Jan. 3, 1881. We left Allahabad at half- 
past eight A.M. for the North India Annual Conference, 
to sit at Bareilly, three hundred and twenty-seven miles 
up the valley of the Ganges. The railroad passes 
through a long alkaline jolain lying between the Ganges 
and Jumna,which owes any little fertility to the overflow 
of these rivers. The rainfall having been much below 
the average for the past three years, it has been visited 
by a terrible famine. Hundreds of cattle were stand- 
ing in pastures, aiDparently as barren as a macadam- 
ized road, gnawing out the dead roots of grass. The 
only green things to be seen were some mango and 
gum-arabic trees, which horses, cows, and goats Avere 
standing on their hind legs and reaching up to browze, 
while in some places the natives were breaking down 
the boughs to feed them. All, whether men or beasts, 
looked thin and bony. Many villages seemed half- 
deserted, the mud walls unroofed and broken down. 
The wells were few, and the water was drawn in 
leather buckets, from a great depth, by oxen walking 
down a long inclined plane. By irrigation a very 
scanty croj) of wheat and dahl were produced, barely 
sufficient to keep these poor creatures from starvation. 



186 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Many of them were grubbing up the roots of the 
grass along the raih'oad track to keep the hungry 
cattle from perishing. 

THE VALLEY OF THE GANGES. 

Tuesday, January 4. At Cawnpore we crossed 
the Ganges, passing a multitude of pilgrims, and 
proceeded northward uj) the beautiful fertile valley, 
which extends through the centre of Hindostan for 
fourteen hundred and sixty miles. The fresh green 
of the wheat fields was refreshing after the glare 
of the barren alkaline plains. The luxuriant stalks 
of sugar-cane, the tall castor-oil beans, and the blos- 
soming fields of pulse, mustard, and dahl, spoke of 
careful cultivation well rewarded. The cattle looked 
plump, the people ajjpeared more comfortable, their 
mud huts were larger, and they moved about their 
fields with more energy and hope. The land is kept 
green by constant irrigation from numerous wells, 
and the water, being nearer the surface, is generally 
drawn by a bucket on the long arm of a le^^er, 
suspended on a tall pole, precisely like the old-fash- 
ioned well-sweep of Connecticut. We passed two 
enormous banyan-trees, that would shelter several 
thousands of people, and many fine mango orchards. 
These are 23lanted like our peach or apple orchards, 
but the trees grow much larger than either, and the 
mango is to India in summer what tbe apple is to 
America in the winter. The roots, striking deep into 
the earth, are not affected by the hot, dry winds of 
the spring months; and the cool, juicy, delicious 
fruit, somewhat resembling the peach, ripens when 
other fruits are blasted and the vegetable gardens are 
dried up. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 187 

About twenty miles from Bareilly, we caught our 
first sight of the Himalaya mountains, a few peaks, 
coA^ered with snow, being outlined against the clear 
sky near the horizon, though sixty miles distant. At 
four p. M., we reached Bareilly, and were welcomed by 
our old friends, Dr. Thomas meeting Brother Inskip, 
Dr. Scott Brother McDonald, and Miss Fannie Sparks 
Mr. Wood, with whom each found pleasant entertain- 
ment during Conference. 

BAKEILLY GIRLS' ORPHANAGE. 

At six p. M., we assembled in the commodious new 
hall of the Orphanage, to witness its anniversary ex- 
ercises. The hall consists of one long room, with two 
wings. The white walls were tastefully decked with 
mottoes in the Urdu language, appropriate to the 
new year, and trimmed with fresh evergreens and 
flowers. All of the two hundred and seventy-six girls 
connected with the Orphanage were present. Some 
are young ladies, and they grade downward to infants, 
only a few months old. About seventy of them were 
23icked up during the famine ; though many died, as 
the result of their terrible sufferings, those who sur- 
vived are bright and healthy. A sweeter and more 
cunning assemblage of little girls it were hard to find 
than these plump little dark-skinned beauties, with 
their smooth, glossy, black hair, and sparkling eyes, 
set off to advantage by their scarlet dresses. Miss 
Sparks moved with the grace and sweetness of a 
proud, happy mother among her large family, directing 
and controlling all without apparent effort. More 
perfect discipline could not be desired. 

Dr. Thomas was requested to examine the school on 



188 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

the Bible lessons for the year. We never saw children 
enjoy an examination more than these, and certainly 
none ever answered more promptly, though the exam- 
iner had not rehearsed the exercise, and did not take 
the review lesson leaves, but asked the questions, from 
Genesis to Acts, as they occurred to him. The little 
ones were no less ready in answering the catechism, 
and all sung with much S23irit hymns in Urdu and in 
English. Some of the older girls jDerformed a native 
air on extemporized instruments, — a great packing- 
box, and several brazen cups and plates, with forks 
and keys, producing a lively melody, in correct time. 
Short addresses were made by the Bishop and the 
visiting brethren. 

NORTH INDIA CONFERENCE. 

Wednesday, Jan. 5. Bishop Merrill opened the 
Conference at eleven o'clock this morning, in the mis- 
sion church. Nearly all the members were present. 
There are twenty-three American and twelve native 
j)reachers, members of conference, beside sixty-seven 
local preachers, many of whom act as supplies, and do 
the work of a conference jDreacher, and a number of 
them have come to conference. The American mem- 
bers are nearly all in the j^rime and vigor of middle 
life ; none of them aged, and few of them young and 
inexperienced. They look like j^icked men, as though 
the conferences at home had been sifted, and some 
best able to endure resiDonsibilities and difficulties had 
been sent to India. Their step is not less sprightly, 
nor their countenance less hopeful than that of their 
ministerial brethren at home. Most of them look well, 
though there are a number who have been here from 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 189 

eighteen to twenty-three years, visiting home perhaps 
once in that time. There are a few who are in feeble 
health, but we are astonished as we note the reluctance 
with which they take a vacation; their hearts are in 
this work; their native converts are like their own 
children, and with many it is really harder to leave 
their spiritual children, with the terrible social and 
moral influences surrounding them here, than it is to 
leave their own offspring in America, among Christian 
friends, environed by the moulding and restraining 
influences of enlightened civilization. 

DISPENSARY AND HOSPITAL OF THE W. F. M. S. 

Friday, Jan. 7. This morning we had the pleasure 
of visiting the dispensary and hospital, under the 
charge of Miss Clara A. Swain, M. D. This lady- 
physician and Miss Isabella Thoburn were the first 
missionaries sent by the Woman's Foreign Missionary 
Society of the Methodist Church. They arrived in 
Bareilly January 30, 1870, and such was Miss Swain's 
success as a medical missionary that in less than a year 
the Nawab, or Prince of Rampore, presented her with 
an estate of forty acres on which was a large mansion, 
to be used for her medical work. This estate is 
opposite the Theological school, and adjacent to the 
parsonage occupied by Dr. Scott. The house was 
unsuitable for a hospital, but has made a pleasant 
home for Miss Sparkes, her teachers, and zenana 
workers. 

The new dispensary is built of brick, in a substantial 
manner, and as usual in this country, is plastered inside 
and out, and the walls whitewashed and tinted. The 
broad veranda is shaded by luxuriant tropical vines, 



190 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

covered Avitli brilliant flowers. A large number of 
native women and children throng this veranda for 
advice and medicine every morning from eight to ten 
o'clock. Dr. Swain has two valuable assistants — 
Miss Yerbury, a graduate from her class of medical 
students, who, in addition to work in the dispensary 
and hospital, gives Bible readings to the patients while 
waiting for their prescrij^tions. The other, Rebecca 
Gowan, a native Christian, is so thoroughly conversant 
with the medical work, that in addition to keeping the 
accounts during Dr. Swain's absence in the hills last 
summer, she took the entire charge of the work, pre- 
scribing for the patients who came to the dispensary, 
and ansAvering calls in the city. In looking over her 
neat and beautifully written records we found that 
during the year 1880, just closed, 14,072 prescriptions 
were served, 6,061 patients visited, and 85 persons 
received into the hospital wards. Of the patients 
visited 3,936 were Hindoos, 1,151 Mohammedans, and 
885 native Christians. 

Passing through the pleasant dispensary, with its 
rooms for clinics and for medical students, we entered 
a beautiful garden inclosed on tAvo sides with wards. 
Those for native patients are arranged like native 
homes, for a mother comes with her children and ser- 
vants, if she be high caste, her goats, and cooking uten- 
sils, and keeps house here wdiile imder treatment. 
Miss Swain resides in one of the European wards with 
her helpers. She looks very delicate, but said to us 
she had strength for all she was required to do ; she 
closed her report for the year with these words : " In 
reviewing the work of the past year we can see the 
hand of the Master in everything concerning us. It 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 191 

has been a year of rich blessings, few disap^^ointments, 

and no burdens^ To the dear Father be all the 

praise." 

INSIDE THE ORPHANAGE. 

Satukday, Jan. 8. This evening we accepted the 
invitation of Miss Sparkes to inspect the long rows of 
neat, new buildings which constitute the "Orphan- 
age." These are so arranged as not to spoil the girls 
for their future life, by cultivating an expensive Euro- 
pean style of living. "VYhile whatever is unwholesome 
or wrong in native life is discarded, otherwise their 
habits and manners conform to those of their people. 
In one laro^e room are sixteen sets of stones where the 
girls grind their wheat, two at a mill, as spoken of in 
the Scriptures. The kitchen, dining-hall, sleeping- 
apartments, school-rooms, sewing-rooms, baths, reform- 
atory, and hospital, have all been rebuilt in a good and 
substantial manner, under the superintendence of Rev. 
G. H. McGrew and Dr. Thomas, who, with his wife, 
founded the orphanage. 

Miss Sparkes came to Bareilly as a teacher in 1871, 
but after one year assumed the entire superintendence 
of this important work, which is sending out teachers, 
Bible-readers, and women, to found Christian homes 
throughout India. The orphanage has been visited by 
a gracious revival during the past year, and twenty- 
four of the older girls have joined the church on pro- 
bation. Many were members previously, and few 
have gone out of this institution who were not hope- 
fully converted. The past year has been one of sick- 
ness and trial ; though nearly all look healthy now, 
four of the older girls have died, and thirty of the 
little ones, in the hot months of May and June, when 



192 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT, 

the school suffered from cholera, fever, small-pox, dys- 
entery, and whoopmg-cough, beside nearly a hundred 
cases of 023hthalmia. Twelve of the girls during the 
year have been married to Christian men. When we 
think of the responsibilities of Miss Sparkes, for the 
health, morals, education, and future married life of 
these two hundred and seventy-six girls, and that she 
has, up to the present time, also superintended the 
instruction given in one hundred and twenty-four 
zenanas, we are astonished at her endurance, tact, and 
patient, hopeful spirit. Her farewell words in leaving 
America in November, 1878, after a year of vacation, 
are an index to her heart, — " Had I a thousand lives, 
I would gladly lay them upon the altar of this service." 

SUNDAY AT BAREILLY. 

At the usual Conference love-feast, Rev. Henry 
Mansell presided. It was a precious season, and one 
never to be forgotten. To look into the faces and 
listen to the testimonies of our missionaries and their 
wives, whose names are household words in thousands 
of American homes, was a privilege for which we 
shall ever be humbly grateful. Their testimonies 
were short, 23i'ompt, and personal, evincing a devotion 
to Christ, a joy in the service to which he had called 
them, and a love for the souls of the benighted mil- 
lions about them, which would have cheered Drs. Reid 
and Fowler, our missionary secretaries, and stimulated 
every lover of Christ in the Methodist Church to en- 
larged contributions. 

At eleven o'clock, Mr. Inskip preached, with blessed 
liberty, a sermon on holiness, that was much enjoyed 
by his appreciative audience. In the afternoon, the 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 193 

church was filled with an intelligent native congrega- 
tion. It was a beautiful sight to see whole families 
sitting together, fathers with their arms around their 
little daughters, whom in heathenism they despised. 
The sermon, by Rev. Isaac Fieldbrave, native preacher 
and presiding elder, was earnest and eloquent, from 
the text, John iv. 14. After ttie sermon. Bishop Mer- 
rill ordained seven native preachers to the office of 
deacon. At four p. m., Mr. McDonald attended an- 
other Hindustani service in the native town, and in 
the evening we listened to the Bishojj, from the text, 
"The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that 
Jesus Avas not yet glorified." At the close, two native 
preachers were ordained elders. 

WOMA?>r'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 

Monday, Jan. 10. The Avives of the missionaries 
are as busy as their husbands, holding their confereiice 
regularly every day, though they do not have a Bishop 
to preside. They, together with the ladies of the 
"Woman's Foreign Missionary Society," constitute 
the executive committee of the " Woman's Missionary 
Society of the North India Conference." European 
and Eurasian ladies may become members by the pay- 
ment of one ruj^ee (fifty cents), and native Christian 
women by paying a half rupee annually. Auxiliaries 
are organized at most of the stations. The funds col- 
lected are applied to the native Avork in India. Mrs. 
Inskip, Mrs. McDonald, and the writer were invited 
to attend all their sessions, Avhich afforded us an op- 
l^ortunity to become acquainted with the extent of the 
work in Avhich they are engaged. We also learned 
the joys and trials, the encouragements and discour- 



194 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

agements of their work. The Woman's Foreign Mis- 
sionary Society have organized worJc at twenty sta- 
tions, though they have only ten unmarried American 
ladies, beside the gratuitous work of the missionaries' 
wives, and their corps of East Indian and native help- 
ers. Two of the American ladies are now engaged in 
self-supporting boarding-schools, and others are grad- 
ually approaching the same. There are ten boarding- 
schools in all, but the two self-supporting ones at Cal- 
cutta, under charge of Miss Layton, and Allahabad, 
under Miss Spence, are not reported by this conference 
society. In the other boarding-schools, there are four 
hundred and four pupils, over eighteen hundred in the 
day-schools, and about eleven hundred are being 
taught in, zenanas. In addition to these, there are three 
Orphanages, the Sunday-schools, Avhich number over 
nine thousand scholars, the "Woman's Home," the 
work of the Bible-readers, and the great and increasing 
medical work here in Bareilly, at Moradabad, and at 
one or two other jwints. The energy, perseverance, 
and study required by so small a corps of American 
women to carry forward so great a work, requiring 
constant supervision and much personal labor, would 
cause a stranger to the facts to suppose a tropical 
climate must induce vigor and elasticity of mind and 
body, instead of lassitude and debility. 
• We were much interested in the rejoort of the auxil- 
iaries, the amount contributed being one hundred and 
sixty-eight rupees fourteen annas. Each lady, in pre- 
senting her report, gave interesting information re- 
garding the monthly meetings, the way the 230or native 
Christians raised their half-rupee or thirty-two pice, 
and how the money was expended. Could the Chris- 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 195 

tian ladies of America have listened to these reports, 
and have seen the native Christian women as we saw 
them, carrying brick on their heads from sunrise to 
smiset, to earn six pice (four and a half cents) per 
day, they would receive a new impulse towards self- 
denying liberality. 

MISSIONARY HOME LIFE. 

Bareilly is a missionary centre. Here Dr. William 
Butler in 1856 laid the foundation of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in India. The American mission 
forms quite a settlement, embracing the Theological 
and Normal schools, under charge of Dr. T. J. Scott 
and Dr. Dees ; the school for preachers' wives, taught 
by Mrs. Scott, two churches, the parsonage of the 
native pastor, Rev. J. T. Janvier (Joel, mentioned by 
Dr. Butler), the engagement of whose daughter we 
attended this evening. It was similar to a wedding 
without the marriage ceremony, and was consecrated 
by prayer and sacred song. Dr. Thomas and wife 
labor among the natives and soldiers, and one room in 
their new home is set apart for soldiers' prayer and 
temperance meetings. 

Revs. Messrs. Parker, Johnson, Hoskins, and Man- 
sell have brouo'ht their tents and live in them durino^ 
Conference. The tents of India are quite res^^ectable 
cloth houses. They consist of tAvb tents, each having 
four thicknesses of canvass quilted together. The 
outer tent is much larger than the other, forming a 
veranda three feet wide around the living-room. In 
these tents many of the missionaries live several 
months in each year, when making tours to distant 
villages, preaching the word (their wives teaching 



196 ENGLAND AND THE OKIENT. 

the women), organizing schools, and forming Chris- 
tian settlements. 

Some of them are completely isolated from Euro- 
pean society for nearly the whole year. Rev. P. M. 
Buck, his wife and two little children, live five miles 
from an English-speaking person, and twenty miles 
from a post-office, but he obtains his mail matter by hav- 
ing a little private bag which the mail-rider can drop 
Avithout dismounting from his camel. Their houses 
are without woodwork, except thin doors, window- 
sashes, and blinds. Board floors, paint and paper 
hangings, are unknown. The clay floors are covered 
with coarse matting, and this by a carpet of printed 
calico. With meagre conveniences they manage to 
make their homes tasteful and even beautiful. The 
large rooms, thick walls, and high ceilings, when 
smoothly plastered and nicely whitewashed and 
tinted, present quite a grand a23pearance, though they 
require rej^airing after every monsoon. 

THE KELIGIOUS SERVICES. 

Tuesday, Jan. 11. Our company were assigned 
the conduct of all the religious services, and held tlnr- 
teen morning and evening services during Conference. 
The morning meetings were precious seasons of prayer 
and consecration. At the six o'clock service the 
brethren preached alternately, on the theme of their 
mission, which received a hearty response from the 
missionaries, most of whom are walking in the light of 
full salvation. All felt that these meetings were 
times of refreshing. Their faith grew stronger, and 
they reded icated themselves to God, and resolved to 
make the experience of heart-purity j)rominent in 
teaching the native Christians. 



THKEE MONTHS IN INDIA. 197 

Mr. McDonald sj^oke to the native preachers at 
their own request, through an interj^reter, on heart- 
purity, and found them ready to press forward into 
the exjoerience. The after-tea services were peculiarly 
sweet. They took the form of class meetings or love- 
feasts, and heart touched heart while all felt drawn very 
near to Christ. We were privileged to partake of the 
Lord's Supper with them at three o'clock this after- 
noon, and at six Mr. Wood preached a short sermon 
when some burdened souls entered into full gospel 
liberty. 

In the evening, Bishop Merrill, who has w^on all 
hearts by his kind and wise administration, made the 
closing address and read the appointments, commenc- 
ing with the plan for work for the women. Some of 
the husbands first learned by their wives' appoint- 
ments where they are to labor the ensuing year. 
The vote of thanks for the visit of their friends from 
America, and gratitude for the strength and fresh 
anointing received, was as hearty as that of the South 
India Conference. 

LUCKNOW. 

Thursday, Jan. 13. We left Bareilly yesterday 
morning, and arrived at Lucknow at seven p. m., where 
we are invited to hold a meeting with the English 
congregation. Lucknow is the centre of the publish- 
ing interests of the Methodist Church in India. The 
mission force here comprises Rev. T. Craven, superin- 
tendent of the Publishing House ; Rev. James Mudge, 
editor of the Lucknow Witness, and j^astor of the 
English church ; Revs. Messrs. Badley and Fieldbrave, 
carrying forward the native Avork, and the flourisliing 



198 EJN'GLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

boarding-school and zenana mission of the Woman's 
Foreign Missionary Society at Lahl Bagh. Our meet- 
ing oj^ened this morning in the Methodist church, — a 
fine structure, built in the form of a cross. 

After service, we visited the Mission Press and 
Publishing House, where a great and good work is 
being done. It was interesting to see rooms piled 
with school and religious books, Sunday-school cards, 
maps, picture-books, etc., prepared for the enlightening 
of the nation, in their own language, and with native 
characters. What an amount of labor and thought 
must have been expended in translating all these 
works ! We are more and more impressed with the 
magnitude of the work, and the zeal and industry of 
our missionaries in this country. It was odd to see 
native compositors sitting on the ground, setting type. 
When Mr. Craven provided a marble slab at a suitable 
elevation, the Hindoo compositor j^erched himself cross- 
legged upon it, and set the type as before. But these 
natives make good workmen ; one was at the press ; 
others were binding books ; and all moved forward 
systematically, under the direction of the cheerful, 
energetic superintendent. 

THE KESIDENCY, AND THE SEPOY MUTINY. 

Feiday, Jan. 14. This forenoon we rode out to the 
ruins of the Residency, occupying one of the highest 
jDoints of land in the city. Its pierced and battered 
walls, overhung with vines, and surrounded by a park 
laid out with taste and kept with care, stand as a 
mournful monument to the heroic endurance of the 
brave 'little English garrison, during the terrible 
"siege of Lucknow." 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 199 

The Residency was built in 1800, by the King of 
Oude, for the English " Resident," or commissioner at 
his court. The j^rovince of Oude was annexed to the 
British possessions in India in 1856, and Sir Henry 
Lawrence appointed governor. At the commencement 
of the SejDoy mutiny, in June, 1857, the English con 
nected with the military and civil service, and some 
native Christians, fled to the Residency, which, with 
the church and surrounding buildings, was hastily 
fortified. The garrison, consisting of 927 Europeans, 
soldiers, and citizens, and 765 natives, was reduced, 
during the siege of eighty-seven days, to 577 Europe- 
ans and 402 natives, a large number of the latter hav- 
ino' deserted. The sieore commenced on the 30th of 
June, and extending through the hot and rainy 
months, the suffering must have been terrible, espe- 
cially of the 550 women and children, who were 
driven to large underground rooms, where hundreds 
died from sickness, anxiety, and sorrow. 

As we exj^lored this great cellar, we thought of 
those days when thirty thousand wild, infuriated 
natives, most of whom had been trained by British 
officers, and were using guns of British manufacture, 
with the infamous and treacherous Nana Sahib at their 
head, surrounded them with shot and shell, bent on 
the extermination of every foreigner and Christian in 
India. The rooms over the cellar were used as a hos- 
pital for the wounded, and when one after another 
of their husbands and friends were brought in, the 
shrieks of the wounded and the groans of the dying 
added their horrors, which Avere augmented by the 
death of their calm, brave governor, and the news of 
the massacre at Cawnpore. Mines were sprung with- 



200 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

in the grounds in various places, the jDro visions were 
coarse and unpalatable, three hundred and fifty of their 
comrades had been killed, and two hundred and thirty 
of the natives had deserted ; still the garrison held out 
against fearful odds until the 25th of September, when 
Gen. Havelock fought his way to their assistance. 

His force was too small to raise the siege, and the 
defence was continued until two months later, when 
Sir Colin Campbell, after a series of fearful battles, 
cut his way to the Residency, and the survivors were 
led out, and the position abandoned to the rebels. 
Lucknow was recaptured on the 19th of March, 1858, 
and peace restored to the distracted province. 

In the centre of the little churchyard is the tomb 
of Sir Henry Lawrence, surrounded by the graves of 
the victims of the terrible siege. Four miles distant, 
in Alum Bagh, a large, fortified garden, is the grave 
of Major-General Henry Havelock, the Christian sol- 
dier, Avho died two days after the relief of Lucknow, 
saying to his son, " See how a Christian can die." 

PALACES AKD MOSQUES OF LUCKKOW. 

This city is far more oriental and magnificent than 
any we have visited hitherto. It abounds in costly 
palaces and mosques, gateways and inclosed gardens, 
tombs and bridges, in Saracenic style of architecture. 

Every morning, in going to church, we pass through 
two great gateways, ornamented on the outside with 
a pair of fishes, the crest of the Oude family. On the 
inside are figures of women terminating in the body 
of a serpent, and reaching out their arms, as if to 
clutch all who enter. Within these gates is the 
'-^Kaiser Bagh^^^ or " Caesar's Garden." It consists of 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 201 

a large courtyard, with trees, fountains, and flowers, 
and a pavilion of picturesque design in the centre, for 
festive parties. This beautiful rectangular garden, 
including many acres, is inclosed by two-story build- 
ings in composite architecture, surmounted by Sara- 
cenic battlements and gilded domes. They are all 
painted yellow, with cornices of white and blue, and 
were formerly occupied by the seven hundred wives 
of the ex-king of Oude. They were completed in 
1850, and cost, including furniture, four million dollars. 

The '-'- Furrad Buksli^'' which formed the principal 
residence of the sovereign, is an example of Mogul 
extravagance and luxuriousness ; its white marble 
baths inlaid with carnelian and bloodstone, its ara- 
besque ceilings resplendent with gold, and little 
fountains in every corner of the palace to cool the 
atmosphere. 

The. "xSeciwzc^er 5a^A," built by one of the kings 
for his favorite wife, has a high wall now partly in 
ruins, which the rebels fortified and loop-holed during 
the mutiny, and where they met with a terrible 
retribution when Campbell's troops .entered the 
city. A severe fire was poured into the advancing 
column of Englishmen from this garden, when a 
charge of Captain Blunt 's horse artillery dashed to the 
point, a breach was made with two eighteen-pounders, 
through which the Mnety-third Foot (Highlanders) 
passed, and though the rebels made a desperate resis- 
tance, upwards of two thousand, all sepoys were slain. 
It was a terrible vengeance for the massacre at Cawn- 
pore, but the infuriated soldiers could not be re- 
strained. 

Near the Fort^ which should have been held rather 



202 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

than the Residency during the mutiny, is the " Great 
Imamhara^'' the largest mosque of Lucknow, said to 
have cost five million dollars. The central hall is con- 
sidered the largest in the world built of stone or brick, 
that is not relieved by pillars or some supports of iron 
or wood. It is one hundred and sixty-three feet long, 
fifty-three wide, forty-nine high, and the walls are six- 
teen feet thick. The inner line of the arched roof is 
sixty-eight feet. This magnificent mosque is now 
occupied by the ordnance department, and contains 
the heavy guns which recaptured Lucknow. 

The most beautiful mosque, still used as such, which 
we visited is the '•'• Iloaeinahad Imcmibarar It com- 
prises a group of buildings in somewhat fantastic style 
of architecture, within two large inclosures. The 
larger quadrangle forms an entrance to the smaller, 
which latter has a great tank in the centre, a mosque 
modeled after the " Taj " of Agra on one side, and 
one of somewhat similar design on the other. The 
Imambara is at the upper end, reached by broad stone 
steps. We entered a room paved with costly, highly 
polished marbles, filled with enormous chandeliers and 
pier-glasses,, and having a silver pulpit Avhere the 
priest sits to discourse from the Koran. The central 
room contains the tomb of Mahomed Ali Shah, third 
king of Oude, and that of his mother, each inclosed 
by a silver fence. In the third room which is elevated 
several feet, we saw a great silver " tajia," containing 
the crown and other insignia of the departed glory of the 
kingdom of Oude. The exterior of all the buildings, min- 
arets, and gates,is covered with thousands of little lamps, 
used for illuminations twice in the year, at the "Mohur- 
rum " and on the anniversary of the death of the king. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 203 

THE MONKEY TEMPLE. 

Among the idols to be found in almost every 
heathen temple is the monkey god, — a grotesque 
image of a man with the head of a monkey, holding a 
club in one hand and a cocoanut in the other. Here 
in LucknoAv we find a temple with extensive grounds 
devoted to this image. On our way thither the ghari- 
walla stopped for half a peck of pop-corn, and when 
we reached the inclosure of the tumble-down old tem- 
ple, he uttered a peculiar cry "ugh, ugh, ugh," and 
commenced scattering the corn. 

Soon monkeys, great and small, old and young, 
black and gray, jumped from the trees, the roofs and 
fences, and came scampering pell-mell out of the 
doors, and over the fields, till our gharry was com- 
pletely surrounded by them. There were literally 
hundreds, squealing, chattering, fighting, and scram- 
bling for the corn. They kept coming ; the whole 
place seemed alive with monkeys. They quarreled 
and boxed one another's ears, they rode on each 
other's backs, and tumbled over and over, a laughable, 
indescribable, noisy mass of teeth and claws, tails and 
arms, but the last things in this world we should sup- 
pose any one would worship. 

A DIYISION OF LABOR. 

Monday, Jan. 18. When our little company left 
America, India was our objective point ; all beyond 
was uncertain. While in England calls for labor mul- 
tiplied to such an extent that engagements were made 
to return there in the spring, after accomplishing our 
work in India. On our arrival at Bombay we found 



204 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

invitations from Ceylon, and from several Wesleyan 
churches in Australia. It was impossible to accej^t 
these, and enter this oj^en door in the Southern Hemi- 
sphere except by dividing our forces. Brother Inskip, 
from the first, had encouraged the " round the world " 
idea, and was willing to go to Australia. Though his 
associates would deeply feel the loss of their leader, it 
was arranged for them to finish our programme in 
central India, and return by way of England, and fill 
the engagements there. Rev. W. B. Osborn and wife 
were to accompany Mr. Inski]) and wife, and assist 
them in the work in Australia. 

As Messrs. McDonald and Wood were to sail from 
Bombay, and Messrs. Inskip and Osborn from Calcutta, 
it was thought best for the former not to go to Cal- 
cutta to attend the meeting announced there, as it 
would necessitate a railroad journey of over one thou- 
sand miles, and prevent their holding the meetings at 
Cawnpore and Jubbulpore. Reluctantly we saw our 
brother and sister depart early this morning ; it was a 
sad hour ; thousands of miles of land and sea separated 
us from our homes and native land ; Ave were bound to 
each other by the strongest bonds of love and sym- 
pathy, and our work and interests were inseparable. 
Trusting in the providence and j^romises of God, and 
environed by the prayers of thousands in America and 
England, we parted, if it please God, to meet at Round 
Lake six months later, or in heaven by-and-by. Mr. 
Gardner, who has been with us, and rendered valuable 
aid in singing, and among the young people, accom- 
panied them to Calcutta, where he intends to take 
work, or return with them to America. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 205 



CASTE IN INDIA. 

The Hindoos are tlie slaves of caste, and this is one 
of the greatest obstacles to the spread of the Gosj^el 
in India. According to their " Shastras," the Hindoos 
are divided into four great and inseparable castes: 
the Brahmins, who are the priests and scholars, said 
to be exhaled from the mouth of Brahma ; the Kshat- 
triyas, or warriors, from his arms ; the Vaisyas, or 
agriculturalists, from his hips; and the Soodras, or 
servants, from his feet. Below these are the Pariahs 
or outcasts. All who become Christians are counted 
with the outcasts. These castes are subdivided over 
and over again, so that there are six castes of weavers, 
who neither intermarry nor eat together, and the other 
trades are in like proportion. There are now seven 
hundred and thirty castes in Lucknow, and each one 
is proud of its own, and defiled by contact with 
another. 

This caste system necessitates the employment of a 
number of servants to do a small amount of work, 
for each will do only one thing. The ^'-hhistV will 
do nothing but carry water; the cook (always a man) 
will not wash the dishes, that belonging to the " khit- 
matgar^'' the '■'- hhayisama^'' will buy the provisions 
and set the table, but will not dust the room or clean 
the windows, these appertain to the " hearer.''^ The 
latter will not sweep, as that is the work of one of the 
lowest castes, and may be done by a woman. The 
"ma^zV" sweeps, but will not wash the clothes; there- 
fore a " dhohi " comes and takes them away. The 
" ayah " is the nurse who cares for the child, but if 
there be three or four small children, there must be 



206 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

two ayahs or an ayah and a " JyA," but they will not 
sew on a button or take a stitch of sewing for the 
children. Women do not sew in India unless taught 
by zenana missionaries. Men called '•'- dhirzis^^ do all 
the dressmaking, tailoring, plain sewing and mending. 

No one not a native can walk far in the burning sun 
of the tro23ics, and distances are great in all the cities 
on account of the size of the compounds, therefore a 
" ghari walla " or coachman, is a necessity, but he will 
not clean the horses, hence a " scye " must be employed. 
Horses need fresh fodder, and one or two grass-cut- 
ters go to a distance and bring in a large bundle on 
the head. Women will do this as well as men ; also, 
if there be heavy furniture to be moved, though there 
be all these men on the premises, some '-^ coolies J"* 
either male or female, must be called. 

In the hot season no one can study, or write, or 
sleej), unless there be '-'■ piinka-ioallas " to take turns in 
keeping the great fans moving. These servants do 
not receive their board, but usually live in little huts 
in the rear of their master's compound. They come, do 
their work, and leave, so that the house is not crowded 
with them. The wages of all we have named would 
not be more than is ordinarily paid for a cook, nurse, 
and coachman in America; and deducting their board 
would be only half as much. 

THE MEETING AT LUCKNOW. 

Wednesday, Jan. 19. Our company have held two 
services daily, commencing Thursday and closing last 
evening. The attendance has not been large, and the 
interest in personal holiness not very manifest. Last 
Sabbath was a good day. Mr. Inskip preached in the 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 207 

morning on the certitude of truth when developed in 
the experience of Christianity, and Mr. McDonald in 
the evening on the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Both 
sermons were owned of God to the conversion of some 
and the sanctitication of others. We spent Sunday 
afternoon in visiting the large Sunday-school for boys 
in the native church and a school for Mohammedan 
females under the tuition of Mrs. Badley on the 
veranda of a native harem. Mr. Wood had a free 
time preaching on Monday evening on "Perfect love." 
Two Christian students from the independent territory 
of Bootan, in the north of India, about to return to 
their wild heathen country, came to the altar and 
sought that love which casteth out fear. Thus, indi- 
rectly, this meeting, which has seemed to us the least 
useful of any since we left home, may be, as Mr. 
Craven remarked, the instrumentality of spreading the 
light of the Gospel in a section where it is almost 
unknown. At the close of Mr. McDonald's sermon 
last evening a number of soldiers sought the Lord, and 
many testified to being profited by the series of meet- 
ings ; some witnessed clearly to the work of sanctifica- 
tion and others to having been converted. 

CAWNPOEE MISSION. . 

Thuesday, Jan. 20. We left Lucknow to-day and 
came to Cawnpore, where Dr. Waugh and Rev. G. H. 
McGrew met and conducted us to their homes in the 
cantonments, or English military quarters. Here we 
find a good church, two parsonages, and a large sub- 
stantially built seminary hall and boarding-house for 
the "Boys' School." The wives of both missionaries 
were sent out by the Woman's Foreign Missions 



208 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Society. Mrs. Dr. Waugh, nee Miss Jennie Tinsley, 
came to India in 1871. She is a genuine missionary, 
whom no change of name could make less actively 
interested in work for heathen women. Mrs. McGrew, 
nee Miss A. J. Lore, M.D., is still devoted to her work 
of benefiting the bodies and souls of the heatheuc 

Such marriages as these are a three-fold blessing to 
the niission cause. A blessing to the j^arent society 
in saving the time and traveling expenses of mission- 
aries who otlierwise must go home for wives, and in 
furnishing those qualified by consecration and experi- 
ence to be true helpmeets in missionary labor. No 
ministers require the society, sympathy, and assistance 
of suitable wives more than those engaged in native 
work in isolated stations in India. The Woman's 
Foreign Mission Society thereby has missionaries who 
are able to open up new fields, and labor without 
salary. In zenanas, city day-schools, Sunday-schools, 
and in village and medical work, they are able to 
accomplish quite as much as if they had remained 
single. By these marriages the way is prepared and 
the salary at hand for other single ladies to enter into 
boarding-school, disjDensary, and other work, and unite 
the freshness of their enthusiasm with the experience 
of those who have labored here for years. 

CAWNPORE. 

Friday, Jan. 21. Though less architecturally beauti- 
ful than Lucknow, Cawnpore is very interesting for its 
location and its sad reminiscences of the Sepoy rebel- 
lion. The most terrible scenes of those dreadful days 
were enacted here, where all now seems quiet and peace- 
ful. The Ganges Canal, eight hundred and ten miles in 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 209 

length, commencing at the base of the Himalaya 
mountains, supplies the one hundred and twenty-five 
thousand inhabitants of the city with an abundance of 
23ure water free from the taint of dead Hindoos, whose 
bodies are seen floating in the river or drifted on the 
sands, where jackals and vultures are tearing them to 
pieces. Before the canal was opened, the Hindoos 
did not believe their sacred river would flow into it. 
Seeing their mistake in this, they persisted in saymg 
that Gunga would destroy all who drank the water, 
and if used for irrigation the land would become 
sterile. They learned gradually that these surmises 
were untrue, and consented to use the water, which, 
by increasing the healthfulness of the city and the 
fertility of the Ganges Yalley, has become to them 
more sacred than before. 

THE MASSACRE. 

This morning we visited the localities made sadly 
famous by the Sepoy mutiny. A beautiful memorial 
church is erected on the site of the intrenchments of 
General Sir Hugh Wheeler. Here nearly a thousand 
Englishmen, Eurasians, and native Christians were 
besieged for twenty-two hot days in June, 1857. They 
were crowded into two long one-story brick barracks, 
one thatched with straw, and neither strongly built. 
Almost two-thirds of the besieged were women and 
children, or non-combatants. Their sufferings during 
those terrible days cannot be described. A handsome 
stone cross marks the well near the intrenchments 
where they nightly deposited their dead. With only 
low mud embankments and five or six light guns they 
withstood the heavy cannon of the inhuman hordes, 



210 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

bent on their destruction. The thatched roof was set 
on fire by the hot balls of the Sepoys, and the 
wounded perished in the flames, as men could not 
leave the trenches to remove them, for the rebels made 
a bold attempt on all sides to scale the intrenchments 
while the fire was raging. The women and children 
crowded into the other barrack, which was already 
riddled Avith cannon balls. The siege lasted until the 
27th, when the Europeans were reduced to half of their 
original number by the guns of the Sepoys, the burning 
heat, and famine ; their ammunition nearly exhausted, 
and their guus disabled, they surrendered on promise 
of safe passage to Allahabad. 

We next visited Suttee Chowra Ghat, an old Hindoo 
temple on the bank of the Ganges, with steps leading 
to the water, where boats were provided to convey 
them down the river. But, before all had embarked, 
they were fired upon from masked batteries, and the 
boats, with thatched awnings, were set on fire. Many 
were killed, or perished in the flames. Only one boat 
escaped, and that was subsequently captured. The 
rest were brought to land, and General Wheeler and 
all the males, young and old, were massacred. The 
boy babies Avere snatched from their mother's arms, 
and torn limb from limb. The poor terror-stricken 
females, many of them wounded and covered Avith 
blood and mud, Avere taken back to suffer for a few 
days longer, agonies Avorse than death. 

THE MEMOEIAL GARDEN. 

This is a beautiful park a mile and a half from the 
intrenchments, surrounded by a high iron fence, filled 
with tropical flowers, and kept perpetually green by 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 211 

irrigation, where the darkest deed of those terrible 
days was perpetrated. There was formerly a building 
on this ground called the " Assembly Rooms," into 
which those women and little girls, not murdered at 
the Ghats, were crowded without beds or other com- 
forts ; only the coarsest food and a scanty supply of 
water being furnished them. Two or three men cap- 
tured in the boat that started down the river, were 
imprisoned with them. During these days of agony 
their brave countrymen, under Havelock and Neill, 
were straining every nerve to reach Cawni:)ore for their 
rescue. Nana Sahib, hearing that his armies were 
melting away, with the hope of checking the advance 
and palsying the energies of the British, ordered that 
every captive should be slaughtered. 

On the CA^ening of July 15th, two Hindoo peasants, 
two Mohammedan butchers, and one Sepoy, for a 
rupee a piece, agreed to massacre these defenceless 
females. They entered the three rooms in the twi- 
light, with swords and knives, and in two hours closed 
the doors on one hundred and fifty dead or dying 
victims. When the sweepers came the next morning 
to clear away the bodies, they found several still 
living, but all, whether living or dead, were thrown 
into a deep dry well. A mound has been erected over 
this well, and on the stone platform covering it is a 
statue of an angel, leaning against the cross, weeping. 
The pedestal bears the inscription : " Sacred to the 
memory of a great company of Christian people, 
chiefly women and children, who near this spot were 
cruelly massacred by the followers of the rebel N'ana 
Dhoondopunt, of Bithoor, and cast, the dying and the 
dead, into the well below, on the fifteenth day of 
July, 1857." 



212 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT, 

The well is inclosed by a beautiful gothic stone 
screen, sixty feet in diameter. Taste and skill, and 
money, have been freely expended by the British gov- 
ernment in embellishing this melancholy spot, and 
no Mohammedan or Hindoo is allowed to enter the 
inclosure. 

THE CAWNPORE GIRLS' SCHOOL. 
Saturday, Jan. 22. Two miles and a half from the 
other mission buildings is the " Boarding School " of 
the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, under 
charge of Miss S. A. Easton. It is located, imme- 
diately on the high bank of the Ganges, the broad 
veranda on the north side reaching within a few yards 
of the wall that protects the embankment. The river 
is about a mile wide, and the prospect would be beau- 
tiful, were it not for the four dead bodies which we 
can see lying in the sandy river bed, on which jackals 
and vultures are feeding. There is quite a farm con- 
nected with the school, and fields of wheat and cotton 
add to the freshness and beauty of the place. Olean- 
ders and roses bloom in the nicely-kept compound. 
The rooms are large and airy, well arranged, and com- 
fortably furnished. It is vacation; therefore only a 
score of the students are present. They all dress in 
English style, and speak our language, though they 
vary in complexion from the fair Anglo-Saxon to skins 
as dark as any of the natives. The school-rooms are 
supjolied with maps and mottoes, and there is the com- 
mencement of a library, in the gift of several books by 
Dr. Waugh. The music-room has two pianos. The 
thoroughness of the wide-awake little principal is 
everywhere apparent. On the dinner-table were sev- 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 213 

era! dishes that tasted like home, for Miss Easton has 
just received a Christmas-box from America. 

THE MEETi:NrG AT CAWNPORE. 

Tuesday, Jan. 25. The English-speaking congrega- 
tion is composed chiefly of soldiers. As these could 
not attend in the morning we had no service until 
evening, except on the Sabbath, when the church was 
quite well filled. Soldiers composed the choir, soldiers 
prayed and spoke for Jesus, soldiers came forward 
seeking heart-purity, and nearly twenty professed con- 
version during the six services held here. We were 
pleased to learn that they had commenced a prayer- 
meeting in the old bungalow which was occupied by 
the infamous Nana Sahib at the time of the massacre, 
and before we left Cawnpore there were two conver- 
sions in that little meeting. 

HINDOO MALA AT ALLAHABAD. 

On our return to Allahabad last Tuesday we found 
a service published for the remaining evenings of the 
week, and the church in a flame of spiritual j^ower ; 
meanwhile we are the guests of Miss Lathrop, at th6 
Union Zenana Mission. 

This morning, January 27, we went to the " Mala," 
or annual gathering of the Hindoos at the confluence 
of the Ganges and Jumna. Next Saturday will be 
the great day of the feast ; but we found about ten 
thousand persons gathered on the sands in the bed of 
the river. Some had come from as far north as the 
Himalayas, and some from as far south as Madras. 
Formerly as many as a hundred thousand came to this 
feast, but for years the attendance has been gradually 



214 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

decreasing, and now it will not exceed thirty thousand. 
What a grand camp-meeting people the Hindoos will 
make when brought to Christ ! 

We left our conveyance near Akbar's fort and 
Avalked down the levee opposite where the old Fakir 
has sat for fifty-five years. After crossing a narrow 
channel of the river by a bamboo bridge, we com- 
menced a tramp across the dry, sandy bed of the river 
to its confluence with the Jumna, a mile and a half 
distant. Finding it hard walking, the gentlemen put 
the writer into an ekka, or little native cart made of 
bamboo, with an awning of yellow cotton, lined with 
red. There was no seat except the floor of the cart. 
A lean white horse was attached, but it was either too 
\v^eak or too stubborn to draw, though cart and rider 
would not weigh much over a hundred pounds. One 
ragged Hindoo at his head ran, and chirped and beat 
him, while two others assisted in turning the wheels. 
Such a jumble of sounds as those three men made in 
their unknown tongue ! With all their coaxing, pushing, 
whipping, stopping, starting, running, and shouting, 
we barely kept up with our friends on foot. 

Men hurried jDast, bearing jars covered with wicker- 
work, containing the ashes of their parents, which as 
a filial duty, they were to cast into the sacred stream. 
Women and children, carrying rice and flowers, 
danced and sang as they moved onward. Coolies 
bearing a sick man in a palanquin, and others a native 
lady of rank in a dooley ; and now and then an ekka 
loaded with women and babies, drawn* by bullocks, 
trotted through the sand. On each side were multi- 
tudes of the maimed, the blind, the palsied and the 
leprous, sitting "by the wayside begging." We 



. THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 215 

thought of Jesus passing by such miserable human 
beings, and healing them by a touch or a word. One 
poor old woman, bent nearly double, who could in no 
wise lift up herself, planted her long staff in the sand 
and plodded on her way. We passed a preaching 
place of our Baptist missionaries, and a stand where 
New Testaments and tracts in the vernacular are sold 
or giA^en away. Further on we met two gentlemen of 
the Presbyterian mission talking to little groups of 
natives. What a relief to see these neatly clothed 
Christian men in the midst of this throng of deformity, 
nudity, and rags ! 

One wretched fakir was measuring his length from 
the levee to the confluence of the rivers. He 
stretched himself on the sand, drew a line at his head, 
then crawled the length of his body, lay down again 
and so proceeded for a mile and a half. Other men 
were sitting on the ground, with disheveled hair and 
covered from head to feet with ashes. One man was 
leading a sacred bull, i.e. one that had two superfluous 
legs growing out of its spine and hanging across the 
back, -^ no animal is sacred unless it be deformed. 
People stopped and bowed till the forehead touched 
the ground, in adoration of the creature, and then j)ut 
money into the hand of its priestly attendant. 

The last half mile was lined with extemporized 
bazars, where sweetmeats, rice, pop-corn, and a multi- 
tude of other articles were exposed for saleJ:o the pil- 
grim throng. Far out on the point of land immedi- 
ately at the confluence, more than two hundred 
triangular flags, of various colors and strange devices, 
were waving from tall bamboo jDoles. Each one 
marked the stall of a Brahmin priest. Turning to the 



216 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

right, we climbed a narrow treacherous plank and sat 
down on the bamboo floor of a native boat, on the 
Jumna. The boatmen j^oled us around the point. 
We could easily distinguish the line of confluence, the 
water of the Jumna being pale green, while that of 
the Ganges was mud color. Small piers were erected 
along the water's edge for the bathers. A double line 
of boats tied together inclosed the line of confluence. 
On these boats were straw booths containing whole 
families of gods, looking like sticks of wood painted 
black or red, on which most uncouth faces were cari- 
catured. These were dressed in red and yellow paper, 
and covered with tinsel. 

Between and about these boats, hundreds of men 
and women were bathing in water about three feet 
deep, the women carefully screening themselves with 
their chuddars. Some bowed forward until the whole 
body was submerged, others stood erect and sj^lashed 
the water with their hands; all prayed with their 
faces toward the images, and dijDped up a little of the 
muddy water with the hand and drank it to wash 
their hearts. Formerly many, especially females, 
were immolated here by walking out into the current 
with jugs tied around the waist which gradually filled 
and caused them to sink to rise no more. When the 
bathers returned to the wharfs, their wet clothes were 
exchanged for clean white garments, their heads 
shaved and the " mark of the beast," or their idol, was 
painted on their foreheads. They then made an offer- 
ing to the priest, and sat down to listen to the sacred 
Vedas. The priests sat on large raised platforms sur- 
rounded by piles of rice, wheat, gram, jewels, money, 
and goods of various kinds, presented them by their 
listeners. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 217 

Such a mixture of degradation, beastly superstition, 
and devotion, sickened yet encouraged us. We could 
see in these jDoor Hindoos reverence, humility and sor- 
-row for sin, that under the light and sanctifying power 
of the Gos^^el, would make faithful and earnest Chris- 
tians. 

JUBBULPOEE. 

A ride of fourteen hours brought us to Jubbulpore, 
situated on a table-land of the Ghauts, three thousand 
five hundred feet higher than Allahabad. This is 
quite a large city. The European section is much 
scattered, the streets are wide, and shaded by clusters 
of bamboo sixty feet in height, and by locust and date 
palm trees. The railroad station and government 
offices are fine buildings. The native town has wider 
streets, and an aspect of greater cleanliness and indus- 
try, than any previously visited. The principal indus- 
tries are the manufacture of brass and copper utensils, 
dyeing and weaving various cotton fabrics, and cutting 
and polishing marble and precious stones. Fine speci- 
mens of jaspar, agate, onyx, and carnelian are brought 
from the Nerbudda river, about four miles distant. 

E'ear a beautiful arched gateway which divides the 
native from the English town, is the English church 
where most of the Government representatives wor- 
ship Jesus of N'azareth on Sunday ; and opposite our 
host's, is the " Officer's Mess," a fine bungalow in a 
beautiful garden, where the same representatives of 
the State church pay quite as hearty devotion to Bac- 
chus and Psyche, week evenings. The Methodists 
worshi23 in the European theatre, which is well situated, 
and might be remodeled into an inviting church and 
parsonage, if it could be purchased, but it is now 



218 ENGLAND AND THE" ORIENT. 

owned by a Parsee, who finds it j^rofitable to rent for 
the counter 23urposes of a church and a theatre. 

Our first service was on Saturday evening. Having 
learned that the church included only twenty mem- 
bers, we were surprised at a large attendance. Here, 
as at Cawnpore, English soldiers form no small part of 
the audience. A soldier was the organist, and soldiers 
mingled with civilians at the altar, seeking purity. 

In the Sunday-school, at eight a.m., we found the 
pastor. Rev. M. Y. Bovard, anxious for the conversion 
of the cliildren and youth. After the opening exer- 
cises Mrs. McDonald and the writer were invited to 
take charge of the service. Mrs. McDonald addressed 
the children in sweet and touching language that God 
sent home to their hearts. Her associate told them 
how she came to Jesus when less than eight years of 
age, and invited them to give their hearts to Christ. 
The Holy Spirit was present in convicting and convert- 
ing power. Forty-six young persons came forward and 
some prayed for themselves and for the others. Many of 
them testified in this and subsequent services to hav- 
ing received the witness of the Spirit to their conver- 
sion. 

Mr. McDonald preached at eleven o'clock on " con- 
secration," and Mr. Wood in the evening on the "great 
commandment." There was a full house ; nearly every 
member of the church and a large number of soldiers 
came to the altar. Some of the latter were followers 
of Christ, some had once enlisted, l)ut afterward de- 
serted the Captain of their salvation, and some were 
new recruits under the banner of the cross. They all 
appeared thoroughly in earnest, and deeply sensible 
of their need of salvation. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 219 



THE THUGS. 

Tuesday, Feb. 1. One of the wisest and most 
humane measures of the British government in India, 
has been the establishment of the "School of Industry" 
for Thugs and Dacots. These castes of murderers 
and robbers worshipped the cruel goddess Kali, and 
claimed to have received permission from her to rob 
and murder, by which strange profession they lived 
from generation to generation. As they traveled in 
gangs, life and property were everywhere unsafe, and 
their terrible deeds form some of the darkest pages of 
Indian history. Populous villages were suddenly sur- 
rounded by mounted robbers, the inhabitants tortured 
until they revealed where their treasures were con- 
cealed, and earrings torn away, and hands chop23ed off 
as the quickest mode of removing ornaments from the 
women. 

These murderers have been arrested and removed 
with their families to a large inclosed park, in this 
healthful mountain city, where they are kept from 
injuring others, and are taught useful industries. We 
find them living more comfortably than the majority 
of the natives, and their children being educated and 
fitted to become respectable members of society. The 
gates and walls are guarded by soldiers, and some of 
the older and more rapacious are heavily manacled, 
otherwise we should not think of its being a place of 
confinement. 

In the centre of a large square sat about thirty men 
making the beautiful quilted tents for which India is 
famous. In buildings near them other men were dye- 
ing yarns, weaving canvas, and making spars, for the 



220 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

tents. On one side was a cabinet shop, and on 
another, a long building filled with hand-looms, where 
they were weaving costly Turkish carjDets, one side 
resembling Brussels, and the other a heavy moss. It 
was difficult to tell which side was the more beautiful. 
Some of these carpets were four, and five yards in 
width with a border, and without seam. The men 
sat and sung at their work putting in each thread of 
the difficult pattern to a strange tune. They seemed 
contented and hap23y. What a beneficent institution ! 
transforming those who were the scourge of India for 
ages, into useful mechanics. It illustrates the differ- 
ence between the worship of the goddess Kali, and of 
the " Prince of Peace." . 

RETURN TO BOMBAY. 

Saturday, Feb. 5. The services at Jubbulpore 
increased in interest each day. Mrs. McDonald con- 
ducted a^ very profitable mothers' meeting Tuesday 
afternoon. Though the Church of England people 
held a dance almost every evening, the soldiers came 
to the theatre and sought the Lord. There were 
many hopeful conversions during the nine services, as 
evinced by the testimonies of children and adults at 
the closing service Thursday evening. We left this 
dear people, trusting God will make of this little flock 
a strong church. Before daylight yesterday morning 
we were on our way to Bombay, and enjoyed or 
endured the discomfort of a third-class car for thirty- 
nine hours. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 221 



LAST SUNDAY IN INDIA. 

Mo]S"DAT, Feb. 7. It is seven weeks since our last 
Tabernacle service in Bombay. Things have assumed 
their normal condition, but the beneficial results of 
those meetings are manifested in larger attendance on 
the Sunday-school and preaching services, a number 
of valuable acquisitions to each of the churches, three 
children's classes where the little ones speak for Jesus 
and are encouraged in faith and obedience ; and, best 
of all, an active church, witnessing to the power of 
Christ to purify the heart. The natives, converted in 
the Tabernacle, are standing firm and avowing their 
faith in Jesus. 

The morning and evening services yesterday, at 
Grant Road, were attended by the presence and 
power of the Spirit, the altar being filled with persons 
seeking pardon or purity. In the evening Mr. Wood 
preached at Dean Hall and administered the Lord's 
Supper. It was a sight long to be remembered, as 
company after company knelt at the chancel ; — Euro- 
peans and Americans, sailors and soldiers, Eurasians, 
negroes, and Hindoos, reformed inebriates, and little 
children. 

BOMBAY MISSIONARY CONFERENCE. 

Wed>^esday, Feb. 9. The missionaries of Bombay 
are accustomed to hold annually a Conference, in 
which the various denominations mingle together in 
delightful Christian fellowship. We were invited to 
attend the Conference which convened last Monday, 
and occupy seats with the missionaries on the platform. 



222 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

The public services were held in Grant Road theatre, 
which was filled both evenings with a congregation 
not v\^holly Christian, who listened with manifest 
attention. The statistics given show there are now 
between four and five hundred thousand Protestant 
native Christians in British India and Burmah. 
The increase of native Christians was fifty-three per 
cent, from 1851 to 1861 ; sixty-one per cent, from 
1861 to 1871 ; and for the last ten years the rate of 
increase has been much greater. Last evening Rev. 
Dhanjibhai Nauroji presided and made the opening 
address. He spoke of the progress Christianity has 
made among his people, the Parsees, in the past forty- 
two years, since he became a Christian. He said: — 
" The Parsee boys understand the doctrines of Chris- 
tianity, and sing Mr. Moody's hymns like Methodists." 
Major G. W. Oldham, of the Church of England, spoke 
on "the duty of laymen with reference to missions." 
In referring to the irregular self-supporting work 
inaugurated by Rev. Wm. Taylor, he said : " Chris- 
tian missions in India have received a marked imjDctus 
during the past ten years, and it requires no prophet's 
vision to foresee that this irregular mission work may 
eventually supersede all other in the evangelization of 
India." 

CLOSING SERVICES IN INDIA. 

Feiday, Feb. 11. We have had two very j^recious 
and useful services each day in Grant Road church 
while waiting for the steamer which is to bear us 
toward home. 

It is now eighty-eight days since we landed at 
Apollo Bunder, and our company have held over one 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 223 

hundred and sixty services. We have attended two 
annual Conferences, travelled through the heart of 
India two thousand six hundred and twenty-two miles, 
seen much of Indian life, much of mission work, visited 
places of interest in the towns where we have held 
meetings ; have had our own faith strengthened in the 
ultimate triumph of the religion of Jesus Christ ; have 
been blest in labor ; have not made a wonderful stir, 
but trust some j^ermanent good has been done. The 
doctrine of Christian holiness has been faithfully pre- 
sented and must be better understood than before our 
coming. The experience has become general in most 
of the churches we have been privileged to visit. The 
ministers have received a fresh baptism and impulse 
to preach it specifically. A few natives, a good num- 
ber of nominal Christians, some scores of soldiers, and 
a large company of youth have been converted. 

We leave, comforted and strengthened by the bless- 
ings and benedictions of many of the best Christian 
people in India, and shall carry back with us sweet 
memories of warm welcomes, kind attentions, frater- 
nal co-operation, and tearful good-byes. We have been 
brought into close sympathy with the missionaries and 
their work, and return to America with strong pur- 
230ses to talk, work, pray, and deny ourselves for the 
cause of Christian missions. 

HOMEWAKD BOUN'D. 

At four P.M., Feb. 12, we went on board the steam- 
ship Britannia, of the Anchor Line, on which we have 
engaged j^assage to Port Said, Egypt. Our fellow- 
voyagers are Bishop S. M. Merrill, Dr. J. W. Waugh, 
wife and two children, returning home for their health, 



224 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Miss Doyle, a missionary who was born in Agra during 

the mutiny, and whose father, a British officer, was 

massacred; an army surgeon, a young man, and one 

lady beside our comj^any. Six of the missionaries and 

many friends came to the shij) for a last farewell. 

The steamer was loosened from Princess dock at ten 

o'clock; in an hour we were out in the moorings, and 

by midnight had passed out of the beautiful harbor, 

the pilot had left us, and as the distant lights of the 

city disappeared we said adieu to India, and wished it 

were j)ossible for us to remain and push the battle for 

God and a holy church. 

The climate while we have been in India has been 

the most delightful we ever experienced ; three months 

of bright, clear weather without storms or high winds, 

some days cooler than others, yet none freezing cold, 

and none north of Bombay oppressively warm. We 

are persuaded that one half of the year the climate is 

fitted to give strength, elasticity and energy. The 

other, we fear, is directly the reverse, except in the 

mountain stations, and it may sometimes take one half 

the year to recov r from the ill effects of the other. 

Still, we believe few men or women in America enjoy 

better health with the same amount of nerve and 

brain work than the missionaries whom we visited in 

India. 

MAN" OYERBOAED. 

Monday, Feb. 14. We are on the Indian Ocean ; 
the air is quite cool, and the sea slightly rij)pled, but 
not rough enough to affect the steamer. While we 
are on deck enjoying our books, suddenly we note a 
strange commotion among the sailors, and the start- 
ling words " man overboard ! " ring along the ship. 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 225 

Life-preservers are thrown, but fail to reach him. 
The engine is stopped instantly, but the ship moves 
by her own momentum nearly a mile. A sailor climbs 
the rigging to watch the man. A boat is lowered 
with all possible speed, but every moment seems an 
hour. Four sailors row for life. How the boat 
bounds over the waves! Thank God they are no 
larger! We thought the sea smooth before we saw 
this frail shell toss upon it. The third officer stands 
in the boat watching for the man, whose head is occa- 
sionally seen above the waves. The steamer slowly 
turns in the direction of the boat, which has stopped ; 
' a shout from the rigging announces " they have him ! " 
"We breathe more freely; everybody rejoices. Soon 
he is lifted helpless into the ship, completely exhausted 
by fright and exertion, though it is only fifteen min- 
utes since he fell from the rigging. As the sailors 
row away again to recover the life-preservers, a shark 
swims around the ship, and we shudder as we realize 
the double peril to which the man was exposed. 

What a type a man overboard is of the majority 
of our race ! They are on the treacherous sea of life ; 
they may swim easily on a smooth sea, but waves and 
currents, storms and gales, are before them ; sharks, 
in the person of gamblers, dramsellers, dissolufe 
women, and vile companions, are ready to destroy 
them. None of them can keej) afloat very long, still, 
only few of these " men overboard " avail themselves 
of the life-boat when it comes to their rescue. How 
ready they are to say, " I'll keep afloat a while longer," 
"N'ot to-night!" 



226 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 



LIFE ON THE BRITANKIA. 

Friday, Feb. 25. At sunset this evening our 
Steamer anchored in the harbor of Suez. A more 
delightful voyage than ours for the past thirteen days 
it were impossible to imagine. The weather has been 
all we could desire. ' The temperature in the Red Sea 
was much cooler than on our outward voyage, and 
Ave had no gales ; nor was the sea, at any time, rough 
enough to cause sea-sickness. 

Captain Hutchison has been very kind. Each 
Sabbath he had the deck nicely arranged for public 
religious services, and almost every man who under- 
stood English was present. Only fifteen of the 
seventy-one persons composing ofiicers and crew are 
Europeans. The remainder are Mohammedan and 
Roman Catholic Lascars. We have enjoyed family 
devotions daily, morning and evening, at which some 
of the officers have been uniformly present. Our life 
has been restful and homelike. We have seen no 
wine-drinking or card-playing, as on the Hispania, 
and Captain Hutchison forbade the use of brandy in 
the plum-pudding sauce. 

This morning we passed the Sinaitic range, and 
tried to imagine the time when one of those barren 
peaks Avas covered Avith the glory of the Lord. It 
commenced raining about nine o'clock, the first rain 
Ave have seen since the 26th of November, Avhen in 
Poona — three months without a drop of rain, but 
plenty of cool, refreshing dew. 

Bishop Merrill will leave us in the morning to go 
across Egypt to Alexandria by rail, and thence take 
a steamer to Italy, while we anticipate making a short 



THREE MONTHS IN INDIA. 227 

visit to Palestine, and then rejoining him at Rome. 
His society has added much to the pleasure and in- 
terest of our voyage. He is an admirable traveling- 
companion, sweet in spirit, cheerful in disposition, 
unassuming in manner, and possessing the faculty of 
making every one feel at ease while instructed and 
helj^ed by liis conversation. 

FIYE DAYS IN SUEZ CANAL. 

Wednesday, March 2. At nine o'clock Saturday 
morning the steamer entered the canal, expecting 
before Sunday evening to reach Port Said, but in 
another hour she was aground, leaning at an angle 
which made locomotion difficult. After' much labor 
the ship righted, but was not free from the sand until 
nearly five o'clock ; and, after sailing an hour and a 
half, was required to stop for the night, having sailed 
tioelve miles during the day. Sunday morning the 
steamer was loosened from the stakes, and made good 
time through the Bitter Lakes, but ran aground twice 
in the crooked part of the canal, between these and 
Lake Timseh. About noon we entered the latter, 
where we were to change pilots, and hoped to 23rocure 
one more competent. Midway of the lake, just before 
we were to stop, the Britannia stuck fast in the 
mud, having run to the left and over the buoys which 
mark the channel. The stern was in sufficient water 
to float, but the bow was fast, and no amount of 
steam would start her. She could not be helped off 
by cables attached to the shore, as in the narrow 
canal. A large steam-tug vainly tried to pull her 
back; nothing remained but to lighten the ship. 

Early Monday morning a relay of Mohammedans 



228 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

were at work discharging wheat, cotton, and dye-stuffs 
into five large lighters. Occasionally the steam-tug 
gave a pull, and at the same time our engine was 
reversed, but, " Sle-sla-slud, Stuck in the mud," 
Cowper wrote a hundred years ago, and we were there 
when we went to dinner at five o'clock. Before we 
rose from the table we heard a shout, " She moves ! she 
moves ! " Going on deck we found the steamer afloat, 
but four hundred and fifty tons of freight in the light- 
ers required longer to reload than to unload ; so Tues- 
day was occujDied in that way. 

Wednesday morning the Britannia was ready to 
proceed, and without further accident arrived at Port 
Said, forty-two miles distant, after dark, where we 
were welcomed by Rev. J. W. Whytock, and con- 
veyed by boat to the " Hotel Der Netherlanden," the 
only resi^ectable public house in the town. 

FIYE DAYS AT POET SAID. 

Our delay of five days in the Canal caused an equal 
delay at Port Said. No steamer left for Jaffa before 
Sunday, and we remained until Monday, choosing not to 
start on the Sabbath, and held three religious services 
in the only Protestant place of worship. 

Port Said is in a very low state morally. Drunk- 
enness, gambling, and lewdness are frightfully preva- 
lent. The j^opulation is decidedly cosmopolitan. In 
1878, there were 64 English, 634 French, 629 Italians, 
415 Austrians, 341 Maltese, 13 Germans, 19 Dutch, 
88 Jews, 236 Egyptians, 1,518 Greeks, and 7,821 
Arabs. Total 11,838. There are 282 dwellings, and 
136 whiskey shops. 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 229 



CHAPTER V. 

VISIT TO PALESTINE. 

JAFFA OR JOPPA. 

Tuesday, March 8. Yesterday afternoon we sailed 
on the Russian steamer N"echinoff for Jaffa on the 
coast of Palestine, paying forty-two francs (18.40) 
each for second-class fare from Port Said to Jaffa and 
return. There were about two hundred steerage pas- 
sengers, mostly Russian pilgrims, going to Jerusalem 
to remain till after Easter. The first-class saloon was 
occupied by an English lord, his lady, and four 
servants. 

When nearly opposite the site of Gaza, we obtained 
our first view of Palestine, and saw the sun rise over the 
distant Judean hills, flooding with beauty the fertile 
l^lains of Philistia, and gilding the sandy knolls which 
form a wall along the Great Sea. An hour later the 
Nechinoff anchored in the open sea opposite Jaffa, 
which is built on a bluff one hundred and sixteen feet 
high projecting slightly into the Mediterranean. The 
houses rise in terraces to the top of the hill, which is 
crowned with an old castle, and the governor's palace. 

Though this, the ancient Joppa, is the oldest sea- 
port in the world, renowned alike in Scripture narra- 
tive, and in Greek poetry, it has no harbor, and it is 
often difficult and sometimes impossible, to effect a land- 



230 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

ing, as the steamers cannot safely approach nearer than a 
mile of the rocky coast. Several stout row-boats pro- 
23elled by brawny Arabs take the passengers ashore. 
After plenty of vociferation to the Arab boatmen Avho 
quarreled over our small luggage, tossing it from 
boat to boat with heedless rapidity, we descended 
with some difficulty into one that bore the flag of 
" Howard's Hotel." 

As we approached the shore, the waves broke over 
an old ruined pier oh our right, said to have been 
built to land the cedars of Lebanon for Solomon's 
temple. On the left is a loug reef of jagged rocks, 
famed in Greek mythology as that to which Neptune 
chained the beautiful Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus 
and Cassiopeia, to be devoured by a sea monster, 
from which she was rescued by Perseus as he returned 
through the air bearing the snaky head of Medusa. 
Between these rocks is a channel only a few feet in 
width, through which our wave-tossed boat passed 
into a quiet little bay. 

After a " clean bill of health " had been delivered 
to the officials we were permitted to land. Climbing 
some stone stairs and stej^ping over bags of grain and 
boxes of oranges, Mr. Howard's agent conducted us 
into the city. Here all the romantic visions of Homer 
and the awe of the inspired narrative evaporated ; we 
neither felt poetic nor reverential as we walked single 
file through narrow, tortuous alleys, over broken 
stones and heaps of rubbish, into pools of filth, jostled 
by donkeys, obliged to squeeze against the wall to pre- 
vent being trodden upon by camels, almost losing sight 
of our guide in dark lanes crowded with Arabs, and 
so slippery that we momentarily expected to fall ; but 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 231 

a few turns brought us to Howard's hotel, where an 
American flao' waved a welcome. The hotel is 
clean and pleasant, without any attempt at elegance. 
Near it are the home-like buildings of the unsuccess- 
ful American colony. The long balconies overlook 
groves of orange and lemon loaded v»dth luscious fruit, 
hanging among glossy leaves and fragrant blossoms. 

Arrangements were made with Alexander Howard, 
the proprietor, for eight days in Palestine, to furnish 
us a dragoman for the entire time, wagons to Jeru- 
salem and Bethlehem, saddle-horses for the Dead Sea 
and the Jordan ; to pay the entrance fee to all places of 
interest in and about Jerusalem, and along our route, 
to give the necessary "backsheesh" to beggars, to 
furnish board and lodging, and return ns to the steamer 
for one hundred and twenty-five francs ($25) each, for 
our party of eight persons. 

While waiting for the wagons, some of us visited 
the traditional house of '^ Simon the tanner by the 
sea-side," Avhere we found a house evidently more 
ancient than most in Joppa, — its old walls being over- 
grown Avith weeds, though the roof is comparatively 
new. It is certain that near, if not on this precise 
spot, Peter received his commission to preach the 
Gospel to the Gentiles. A fig-tree was just putting 
forth its leaves close to the wall, and in the yard below 
a large vat, hewn from solid rock, capable of holding 
several hogsheads, seemed to lend silent testimony to 
the locality. 

Joppa now has a jDopulation of about fifteen thou- 
sand, and contains many points of interest, as it has 
figured largely in sacred and profane history, from the 
time when Jonah embarked to flee from distasteful 



232 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

duty, down to the bloody scenes of Kapoleon's inva- 
sion, commencing with his treacherously murdering 
the garrison of four thousand Albanians after they 
had capitulated, and ending with the order to poison 
his own disabled soldiers who were too feeble to ac- 
company his retreating army. 

THE PLAINS OF SHAEON. 

At half-past eleven we started for a ride of thirty- 
five miles to Jerusalem, in two large wagons, each 
drawn by three horses driven abreast. After passing 
the rude market-place, with its lazy Arabs smoking 
their nargilehs, and TahithcCs Fountain, a large well 
in an arched inclosure, of Saracenic design, we rode for 
three miles through great orange and lemon groves, 
interspersed with almond and apricot trees in full 
bloom. The great yellow egg-shajDed oranges hung in 
heavy clusters from trees as large as our apple-trees. 
For the first time we com23rehended what Solomon 
meant by "apples of gold in pictures of silver," as we 
saw the golden fruit among the white blossoms. 
Persian water wheels draw from a subterranean river 
the needed moisture for the rich sandy soil, and hedges 
of cacti, principally prickly pear, fence the gardens. 
Some of these cactus j^lants are ten feet high and a 
foot in diameter. 

We next passed the " Agricultural School" for Jew- 
ish youth, and shortly commenced a ride across the 
beautiful plains of Sharon. These plains are about 
fifty miles in length and fifteen in width, lying between 
the southern spurs of the Lebanon mountains and the 
sandy shores of the sea, and extending northward to 
Carmel. It is a rich, undulating tract of country, 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 233 

covered witli fields of wheat and barley, or grass, 
dotted with lovely sj^ring flowers. Here we found, 
growing wild, tulips and jonquils, the rare pink and 
white cyclamen, the red and white anemone, and 
sweetest of all, the ''rose of /Sharon^''^ a single yet 
beautiful rose of the purest white, with golden 
stamens, emitting an exquisite fragrance from great 
clusters of low thornless bushes in full bloom. 

To the left of the road is Yazur, the supposed scene of 
Samson and the foxes (Judg. xv. 4, 5). The rough 
hill, covered with rocks and bushes, looked as though 
hundreds of foxes might burrow there, and the fields 
of grain stretching southward over Philistia, made 
the scripture incident strangely vivid. On a small 
hill is the rude village of £eit Dejan^ the site of 
Ashdod, where the temple of Dagon stood, in which the 
idol fell before the ark of God (1 Sam. v. 3, 4). Every 
mile and a half we came to a square watch-tower, 
built by the Turkish government many years ago,' to 
protect the road, but now abandoned and going to 
ruin. 

The next place of interest is Lydda, a half mile from 
the road, from whence, after healing ^neas of the palsy, 
Peter was summoned to Joppa to restore Tabitha 
to life, and behold the vision which opened the door 
to the Gentiles. Beyond this is Ramleh^ the largest 
town between Joppa and Jerusalem, believed by some 
to be the ancient Arimathea, the home of Joseph, Avho 
entombed the body of Jesus. It is a small, walled 
town of about three tliousand inhabitants, surrounded 
by orchards and gardens, inclosed by enormous cacti. 
A quarter of a mile to the west of the town is a large, 
white tower, five stories in height, called the " Tower 



234 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

of the Martyrs," and dates back to the Crusades. 
Ramleh being nine miles from Joppa, we stopped to 
huich, and feed the horses. At the gate of the town, 
a company of nine or ten lepers beset us, following and 
crying after us for backsheesh. They were a sad, 
loathsome, miserable group, — a life-picture of the ten 
lepers Avhoni our Saviour healed at the entrance of a 
Samaritan village. 

Two miles east of Ramleh is the tomb of Abu 
Shusheh, a robber chief, for years the terror of the 
road, and near it the handsome residence of a Jewish 
banker, who owns five thousand acres on this fertile 
plain. The next place is Gezer., Pharaoh's dowry to 
Solomon's Egyptian bride (1 Kings ix. 16). 

After ascending some low hills, we crossed the vale 
of Ajalon as the sun was imprinting his good-night 
kiss on the few trees upon the summit of 3It. Gilboa. 
As the sun descended into the blue Mediterranean, and 
the moon rose over the valley, we seemed to see the 
peaceful vale filled with contending armies, and hear 
the words of Joshua, " Sun, stand thou still upon Gib- 
eon, and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon " (Josh. 
X. 12-14). Ascending a small hill, we stopped for the 
night at Latrooii^ called the birthplace of the penitent 
thief. Here Howard has a hotel, which looks like a 
fortress, having stone walls three feet thick, windows 
guarded by iron lattice, heavy cedar doors, and floors 
of stone, even in the upper story. After suj^j^er we 
took candles and went down into an old tomb, recently 
discovered, close to the east wall of the hotel. This 
tomb is hewn in a limestone rock, with cavities for 
nine sarcophagi, and is called the Tomb of the Macca- 
bees. Upon the hill above is a large ruined fortress, 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 235 

said to have been an important position when tlie 
Maccabeean brothers defended the land of Jiidea. 
How qniet these scenes of conflict are to-night ! Here 
Philistine, Amorite, Canaanite, Egyptian, Syrian, Ro- 
man, Jew, and Samaritan, Saracen, Crusader, and 
Frank have successively fought ; now nothing is heard 
but the spring peej^ing of the frogs, and nothing seen 
but the moonlight over a landscape of pastoral beauty, 
though the grave of ages. 

FKOM LATEOOIT TO JERUSALEM. 

Wednesday, March 9. As the first rays of the 
sun appeared over the mountains of Ej^hraim, we 
started on our way to the holy city. Heavy dew 
sparkled on gi-ass, grain, and flowers. The lark 
mounted the sky, and lent her song to the enchant- 
ment of the scene. Some wheat-fields showed the 
effects of a slight frost. After passing two watch- 
towers, we came to '■^JolPs id ell ;^^ why so called, when 
Job dwelt in the land of Uz, on the east of the Jor- 
dan, we could not learn. We next came to Babel- 
Wad, a village of two houses, a Jewish cafe, and a 
long, low building, evidently occupied by several fam- 
ilies. Here we enter the ^'•hill country of Jiidea^ 
The road passes through deep ravines, and winds back 
and -forth, uj) and down the steep mountains. The 
white, rocky mountain tojjs look like the bones of a 
nation that have been washed by the rains, and bleached 
by the sun, for two thousand years. 

In the clefts of the rocks, and in the wadies, — nar- 
row valleys or watercourses, — the soil is deep and 
rich, and flowers bloom in j^rofusion. Honey bees 
suck their sweetness, and store it away in rocky hives, 



236 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

and gnarled old olive-trees grow between the rocks or 
on the terraced side-hills, and bring to mind the pas- 
sage, "He shall suck honey out of the rock, and oil 
out of the flinty rock." 

We gain an eminence, where, looking back, we can 
see the vale of Ajalon, the plains of Sharon, the sandy 
coast, Joppa on its rocky bluff, and the Mediterranean 
Sea. The atmosphere is so dem\ that remote places 
appear quite near, and so exhilarating^ that it is a lux- 
ury to breathe. After descending one of the steepest 
hills, we arrive at the Kirjatli-Jearim of the Scrip- 
tures, now called Kurriet-el-Ainab. The inhabitants 
of the ancient town were Hivites, who deceived Joshua 
by their worn garments and mouldy bread (Josh. ix. 
3-17). Here .the "ark of the covenant" found a 
resting-place for twenty years in the house of Abinadab. 
(1 Sam. vii. 1, 2). Near the road stands the tomb of 
Abu Gosh, a noted brigand who, with his six brothers 
and eighty-five descendants, was the terror of trav- 
elers until government " set a thief to catch a thief," 
by hiring him and his band to protect the road. We 
visited the ruins of a fine old church, built about A. D. 
1011, which looks as if it might be restored. A single 
date palm towered above the ruin. Apricot and 
almond-trees in bloom, and the dark green foliage of 
the carob-trees added beauty to the village. 

Neby Samidl^ one of the highest mountains of 
Southern Palestine, being three thousand feet above 
Jaffa, is seen to our left all the way till we ai:)proach 
Jerusalem. There is a fine ruin on its summit, and 
this is doubtless Mizpah, where Samuel judged Israel 
for many years (1 Sam. vii. 5, 6). After passing the 
site of the house of Obed-Edom, pointed out by our 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 237 

dragoman, we descend into a valley of unusual culti- 
vation, including with the terraced hills many hun- 
dred acres of olive orchards and vineyards. Here we 
see the latter with hedges about them, a wine-j^ress in 
one corner, and a two story mud tower in the centre, 
reminding us of the vineyard described by our 
Saviour (Matt. xxi. 33). Through this valley passes 
the brook from which David picked the stone with 
which he slew Goliah. • The brook is dry except in 
the rainy season, and is full of small, smooth pebbles. 
We look down the valley, which widens to quite a 
13lain, and imagination pictures the army of Israel on 
one mountain-side, and the Philistines on the opposite, 
while the youthful David with his sling crosses the 
stream and advances to meet the giant in his armor. 

Before crossing the bridge we passed Emmaus, a 
little village perched on a steej) hill-side. Here we 
left our wagon, to walk along the road which was 
once pressed by the feet of our risen Lord, and 
wished we could have him oj^en to us the Scriptures 
as he did to Cleopas and Luke. Camels and donkeys 
l^assed us, loaded with timber and household goods. 
On one camel's back we counted forty long pieces of 
joist, making him look like a walking saw-mill. Some 
women bearing enormous "bundles of green pulse on 
their heads came down a narrow mountain-path, look- 
ing in the distance like trees walking (Mark viii. 24). 

After walking about three miles, and being repeat- 
edly disappointed in not seeing Jerusalem, as we 
reached one rocky height after another, we waited 
for the wagons, which were following u]) the devious 
mountain-road. When we had passed Lifta, and 
turned our back on Mizpah, we found the rough, 



238 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

jolting road becoming more smooth as we approached 
the city, and passed some fine residences in the midst 
of pleasant gardens. Though in its suburbs, Jeru- 
salem does not yet appear, but the top of Olivet, 
dotted with olive-trees, is in sight. 

We j^ass along the inclosure of the Russian Mis- 
sion, which occupies an elevated spot northwest of 
the city, and suddenly the gray walls of Jerusalem 
are before us. We ride along. its northern side to the 
Damascus gate, — a heavy tower with two rooms, 
each guarded by soldiers. Here Ave alight and loalh 
into the city, for no vehicles are allowed within its 
walls. We feel like treading lightly, as this is holy 
ground, because God chose it as the place where he 
would manifest his glory. Jews, Christians, and Mo- 
hammedans hold it sacred. 'It recalled the sweetest 
passages in the Psalms of David, and is identified with 
the work of our Redeemer, and is a type of heaven. 

INSIDE YIEW OF JEKUSALEM. 

From the Damascus gate the street descends, and 
branches off into narrow, tortuous lanes. We took 
the one to the right, passing through a long, dimly- 
lighted arcade, where shoemakers and small dealers 
sat at the doors of their little shops, looking almost 
like spectres in the darkness. Vagrant dogs, of which 
the city is full, lay in our path. Children crouched 
on heaps of rubbish, for ashes and garbage are thrown 
into the streets, and the loose, flinty pavements look 
as if they were never swept. Horses, camels, and 
donkeys add to the darkness and confusion. There 
are no sidewalks ; the streets are not lighted at night; 
the dwellings have no windows looking into the street, 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 239 

but present high, whitewashed walls, in which is a 
single small door. On a sign above one of these we 
read " Damascus Hotel," and our dragoman leads the 
way uj) the narrow, winding stairs to an open court 
in the centre of the building. Everything is of stone. 

From the dining-room windows we have a fine view 
of Olivet, with its olives and carob-trees, its pathways 
over and around the mountain, the Tower of Ascen- 
sion, and an old monastery on its summit. From the 
upper chamber on the flat roof we can overlook the 
city, with its domes and battlements, and distinguish 
the four hills on which the city is built. We see the 
gilded crescent on the Mosque of Omar on Mount 
Moriah, the ToAver of David on Mount Zion, the 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Mount Acra, and 
Mount Bezetha, with its minarets and gardens. 

We are in a city of three Sabbaths, the Mohamme- 
dans observing Friday, the Jews, Saturday, and the 
Christians, Sunday. 

CHURCH OF THE HOLT SEPULCHRE. 

The places of greatest interest within the walls of 
Jerusalem are the Haram or Temple area, and the 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On Mount Acra, 
almost in the centre of the present city, is a large, 
irregular building, three hundred and fifty feet long 
and tw^o hundred and eighty wide, called the Church 
of the Holy Sepulchre. Beneath the towers and domes 
of this group of chapels we are expected to visit Cal- 
vary, once sprinkled with the blood of Christ, and the 
tomb in the garden where his body was laid. 

Our first feeling was one of disappointment if not 
of disgust. The location puzzled us, the gorgeousness 



240 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

of the chapels and shrines, the number of insignificant 
places and relics which the dragoman delighted to 
point out, and the strange incongruities which met us 
on all sides, divested these holiest places in the history 
of redemption of much of their sacredness. Turkish 
soldiers stand guard to preserve peace between so 
many antagonistic Christian sects, for here are Greek 
and Latin, Abyssinian and Armenian, and Coptic 
chapels under the same roof. Pictures and crosses, 
tall candles in taller candlesticks, and little tapers in 
the hands of the curious, the smoke of incense and the 
stealthy tread of the priests, make it seem a vast 
museum of superstition. 

We are invited to see, if not to kiss, the " stone of 
unction," on which the body of Jesus w^as laid to pre- 
pare it for burial ; to stand where Mary stood at the 
crucifixion ; to touch a piece of the column of flagel- 
lation ; to view the spear which pierced His side, and 
to look within the grates where Jesus was bound 
awaiting his crucifixion. We go into the great Greek 
chapel at the hour of service ; but before the Russian 
pilgrims kneel in prayer they kiss and solemnly cir- 
cumnavigate a round stone in the middle of the 
church, which they believe to be the " centre of the 
world." 

Without visiting the chapels of the other nationali- 
ties, or the chapel of the angels, of Adam, of the 
Virgin, of the centurion, of the parting of the gar- 
ments, of the penitent thief, — and we know not how 
many more, we descend some broad stone steps to the 
chapel of the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine. 
The severe simplicity of this old chapel and its antique 
pictures carry us back to the early church, and render 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 241 

it probable that it was built, as represented, about 
A. D. 325. 

Returning to the Rotunda we look up to the marble 
tomb under the dome and ask ourselves, can this be 
the sepulchre where our Saviour was laid ? Though 
encased in slabs of marble, enough of the rough lime- 
stone rock is uncovered to show it is an old Jewish 
tomb. We stoop to enter, as the door is only three 
feet high, and are reminded of Peter stooping down 
to look into the sepulchre on the morning of the resur- 
rection. Lamps of cut glass in a golden chandelier 
light the room, six and a half feet square. A black- 
robed priest points to a narrow marble shelf where the 
body of Jesus had lain. 

Desiring most of all to see the place where our 
Saviour suffered in our behalf, we ascended a long, 
crooked staircase, said to lead to Calvary, a spur of 
Mount Acra. Here the false and the true are strangely 
commingled. A rent in the rock about two feet long 
and a few inches wide leads to a cavern below. With- 
in a yard of the crevice are three holes or sockets 
placed in a semicircle, for the crosses. In a case 
above them is an image of the Virgin covered with 
gold, silver, and j^recious stones, watches, lockets, and 
bracelets, rings by the dozen, reaching to the ends of 
her fingers, brooches and chains, — the offerings of 
pilgrims. 

Under the rent in the rock is a beautiful little 
grotto adorned Avith mosaics. In another part of the 
church we saw some old tombs. One was called the 
Tomb of Josej^h and Nicodemus, and contained 
niches for seven coffins, some of them empty and 
Others walled up. These ancient tombs indicate that 



242 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

this must have once been outside the city walls, as the 
Jews were forbidden to bury within their cities. 

Conversation with Major Wilson, United States con- 
sul, and subsequent investigation of the works of De 
Hass and others, confirm the supposition that this is the 
true Golgotha, or Calvary, once outside the gate, and is 
indeed an eminence or spur of Acra running out into 
the Tyropoeon valley. Mount Calvary is not a myth, 
for recent explorations prove it to rise nearly a hun- 
dred feet above its natural base. After seeing these 
two sacred places we did not care to visit the tombs of 
Adam and of Melchizedeck, or other objects of false- 
hood and suj^erstition too numerous to mention, but 
passed into the large paved court, where we found a 
score of dealers in olive wood, mother of pearl, rosaries, 
etc., and the money-changers sitting. Small tables 
stood around for visitors to take a glass of wine or a 
cup of coffee ; thus making this like the Temple in the 
days of Christ, " a house of merchandise." 

THE ROYAL QUARRIES. 

Near the Damascus gate, close to the wall of the 
city, is an entrance to large subterranean galleries 
extending under Mount Acra. These are believed to 
be the ancient quarries from which Solomon obtained 
much of the stone for the temple. With lanterns, 
candles, and three guides, the gentlemen spent two 
houi'S this evening in exploring these quarries under 
the city, walking for nearly half a mile, though they 
did not enter the side passages. Here they found 
huge blocks of white limestone, some taken out of 
the rocky sides ready for removal, and others cut pre- 
paratory to being separated from their natural bed, by 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 243 

the expansion of dry wooden wedges, as gunpowder 
Avas then unknown. Thousands of cavities showed 
where blocks of various sizes liad been removed. 
Probably in these subterranean halls the stones for 
Solomon's temple were fitted to each other so exactly 
that no sound of hammer or tool of iron was needed 
in its erection. 

THE TEMPLE AEEA. 

Thuesday, March 10. There is one spot in Jeru- 
salem, the identity of which no skeptic has questioned ; 
this is the temple platform on Mount Moriah, which is 
in the eastern section of Jerusalem, and occupies 
nearly one-fifth of the whole city. The sloping sides 
of the mountain were built up with enormous blocks 
of stone, from ten to forty feet long, and from four to 
six feet in breadth and thickness, and the mountain 
levelled so as to make a j)latform covering about 
thirty-eight acres. 

At an early hour this morning we left our hotel, 
accompanied by a Mohammedan guide and a Turkish 
soldier — our escort and guard to the Haram or Holy 
Place. It is entered by eight gates ; we went in by 
the one at the west, u]^ broad stone stairs to the tem- 
ple area. That this area is substantially the same as 
when Jesus went in and out of the Temple there is no 
reason to doubt. While above ground not one stone 
remains that was not thrown down, the platform was 
not much disturbed. 

Most of this area is a green lawn dotted with spring 
flowers and shaded by cypress, myrtle, orange, and 
olive trees. Near the centre of the in closure is a raised 
platform, five hundred and fifty feet long, four hun- 



244 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

dred and fifty feet broad, and fifteen feet above the 
surrounding area. This is j^aved with slabs of white 
marble, is entered by four handsome colonnades, and 
is adorned with j^orticoes, pulpits, and places for medi- 
tation and prayer. 

The central object is the magnificent Mosque of 
Omar, an octagonal building, each of its sides being 
sixty-seven feet in length. The walls of diversely 
colored marbles rise forty-six feet from the pavement, 
then support a circular wall twenty-five feet in height, 
ornamented with porcelain tiles, inscribed with pas- 
sages from the Koran, which upholds a bulbous-shaped 
dome of blue forty feet high, and surmounted by a 
glittering crescent, making the total height one hun- 
dred and eleven feet. There are four entrances cor- 
responding, like the colonnades, to the cardinal points. 
The west door the Mohammedans call the gate to 
Paradise. We enter at the east door, but first stop in 
an octagonal portico called " David's Place of Judg- 
ment," to exchange our boots and shoes for sli2:)pers, 
which we have brought with us. 

The interior is exquisitely beautiful, the light comes 
through the many colored windows, and gleams upon 
the polished walls of various costly marbles, jasper, 
and porphyry. Some blocks of dark green jasper, 
richly veined, and somewhat cracked, are pointed out 
as remnants of Herod's Tem^jle, as also many of its 
columns. The dome is supported by a double row of 
marble columns of such richness and variety of color, 
that we cannot doubt they may have been within the 
Temple that Herod was forty-six years in beautifying 
and enlarging. The ceiling of the dome is a richly- 
woven cloth of silk and gold. No image or picture of 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 245 

man, or beast, bird, or fish, or creei^ing thing, is to 
be seen anywhere, for the Mohammedans abominate 
image worship. 

They call this building Kubbet-es Sakhra, the 
" Dome of the Rock," because under the dome is a 
large uncut limestone rock, fifty-seven feet long, forty- 
three feet wide, and rising about seven feet above the 
floor. This is inclosed by a double railing, the outer 
one being of iron, with gilded points, said to have been 
put here by the Crusaders. This rock is called the 
" Stone of Foundation " in the Talmud, and is really 
the summit of Mount Moriah. It is believed to be 
the spot where Abraham built his altar to offer Isaac 
in sacrifice (Gen. xxii. 2) ; and where, eight hundred 
and fifty years after, David was commanded to sacrifice 
on the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite (1 Chron. 
xxi. 18-22) ; and here the temples of Solomon, Zerub- 
babel, and Herod were erected. On one side of this 
irregular rock is a hole about two and a half feet 
in diameter, believed by many to have been made 
for the blood from the altar to flow into a subterranean 
aqueduct below. Under the rock is a cave which un- 
doubtedly is the one where Oman and his sons, hid 
themselves from the angel of the Lord. 

Leading us to the top of the wall overlooking the 
valley of Jehoshaphat, our guide pointed to a round 
column projecting horizontally from above the now 
walled-up Golden Gate, and said that the Judge 
(whether Jesus or Mohammed he did not tell us) 
would sit on this to judge the nations gathered in the 
valley beloAv. Probably the foundation of this idea is 
in Joel. iii. 2, " I will gather all nations and bring 
them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat." 



246 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Near the wall overlooking the valley and the Moimt 
of Olives, is the Mosque of El Aksa, formerly a Chris- 
tian church, built by Justinian, and retaining the form 
of a cross, and the simplicity of the age in which it 
was erected, though it is a strange combination of 
various styles of architecture, and shows that the 
remains of older edifices have been interwoven. In 
the nave of the church is the " Leaf Fountain," a well 
communicating with an ancient aqueduct. In the 
chancel is a stone bearing the imprint of a child's foot, 
said to be that of Jesus when he visited the temple at 
twelve years of age. In the left transept are two col- 
umns of jasper only a few inches apart, called the 
" Strait Gate " or portal to Paradise. Our American 
party had little difiiculty in squeezing through, but 
w^oe to the bloated beer-drinkers. 

We descended into spacious and lofty substructions 
whose walls, ceilings, and pillars are built of immense 
stones, and evidently antedate the Christian era. The 
ceiling is arched, and adorned with stones, fitted into 
circles without mortar, and scarcely showing the 
seams. 

Resuming our shoes, we next descended into great 
subterranean chambers, recently discovered and called 
" Solomon's Stables." Only a small portion of these 
have been excavated. They are divided by enormous 
stone pillars and arches which support a portion of the 
temj^le platform. Each column has a hole cut near 
one corner at a suitable height for tying a halter. We 
read in 1 Kings iv. 26, that Solomon had forty thou- 
sand stalls for his horses. These chambers extend to 
the wall of the city on the southwest, which is at this 
point one hundred and thirty feet high, while its foun- 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 247 

dations have been discovered eighty feet below the 
present surface outside. Between the temple area and 
St. Stej^hen's gate is a large pool, now destitute of 
water, called the Pool of Bethesda. 

We returned to our hotel through the Via Dolorosa, 
with its Ecce Homo arch and numerous stopping- 
places to mark the pathway of the " man of sorrows," 
as he went forth bearing his cross. If this be the 
direction by which Jesus passed, the true Dolorosa is 
far below the present street. We found it by calling 
at the " convent of the Sisters of Zion," and obtaining 
the key to their cellar, by which we gained access to 
an old paved street, fqr the present Jerusalem is built 
above the ruins of the ancient city. 

THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA. 

When we returned from the Haram, a good substan- 
tial dinner aAvaited us ^preparatory to a horseback ride 
of eigliteen miles from Jerusalem to Jericho. At 
twelve o'clock the horses were led to the door of the 
hotel and we mounted, feeling some trepidation, for 
we had not been on a horse in seventeen years, yet 
were persuaded that what others had done we could 
do. 

Our cavalcade consisted of, first our escort, a Bed- 
ouin, robed like a son of the desert, with sword and 
holster at his side, mounted on a fine Arab horse, fol- 
lowed by two native soldiers on foot, armed with long 
antiquated muskets, the barrels curiously ornamented 
with brass rings. These men were furnished for our 
protection at the request of the United States Consul, 
and are paid by the Turkish government to jjrotect 
travelers from the assaults of wandering Bedouins. 



248 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

ISText to the guard was a mule and a donkey with pro- 
visions and luggage, in charge of a muleteer; and 
then came four ministers, two ladies, and our drago- 
man, a native of Maine. 

Our horses' hoofs rattled u]3 the flinty street in sin- 
gle file, to the Damascus gate, and turning eastward 
we i^assed along the northern wall down into the val- 
ley of Jehoshaphat, and paused at the spot near St. 
Stephen's gate where it is supposed the first Christian 
martyr was stoned to death (Acts vii. 58). Thence 
crossing the now dry bed of the Kidron by a stone 
bridge, and passing the tombs of the Virgin and of 
Anna the prophetess (doubtful)_, and the garden of 
Gethsemane, we took the lower road to Bethany along 
the southern slope of Olivet, over grassy hillocks and 
stones, across a dry water-course, pausing where Beth- 
page formerly stood, and, looking back, obtained a fine 
view of Jerusalem. 

Near us was Bethany where our Saviour often 
sought refreshment and repose, and before us the city 
over which He wept, beautiful still though its glory 
has departed ; the path by which we came, the feet of 
the blessed Jesus had often trod; but the emotion 
which these scenes inspired cannot be transferred to 
paper. The Scriptures were opened, and every little 
incident became strangely vivid. Tearfully we turned 
our horse's head and proceeded to Bethany, which Ave 
reached in forty minutes from the time of starting 
Here we caught our first sight of the Dead Sea, and 
the mountains of Moab beyond. In the clear atmos- 
phere it seemed impossible that the sea could be in a 
straight line thirteen miles away. It looked as though 
we miofht reach it in two hours. 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 249 

The road which up to this point had been a rude 
uneven path, now took a zigzag course over a preci- 
pice on the eastern slope of Olivet. As we looked 
down the ledges of rock and rolling stones, it seemed 
impossible that horse or rider could ever make the 
descent in safety. It was proposed to visit Bethany 
and return to Jerusalem, but, notwithstanding the ter- 
rors of the way, we had started for and were deter- 
mined to go down to Jericho. Some of the gentlemen 
dismounted and led their horses, but we were afraid 
to do so lest ours should stumble over us, and rocks, 
horse and rider land together at the bottom of the 
chasm. The muleteer came to our assistance and led 
the horse, giving us nothing to do but to hold on. 
When we saw that our horse, which had stumbled two 
or three times on the sod, was sure-footed on stony 
ground, we took courage, though we half hoped tliat 
the worst Avas placed near the beginning of the route. 
We had still to learn what was meant by the "Wilder- 
ness of Judea," or " going down to Jericho " and the 
Dead Sea, which is three thousand seven hundred and 
ninety-five feet below the elevation of Jerusalem. At 
the foot of Olivet is a refreshing spring issuing from 
tlie rocky ledge, called the " Well of the Apostles " 
where we stopped to give our horses drink. 

As we proceeded the vegetation became more scanty, 
and the road more intricate, with sudden angles in 
the narrow path, between black, frowning boulders 
that obstructed our vision and made the spot seem 
appropriately named " Murderer's Glen, or the Bloody 
Way." Here, probably, the man of the Scriptures 
fell among thieves, and here we know Dr. Leyburn, 
whose church was near ours in Baltimore, actually 



250 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

was robbed by the Bedouins. Though occasionally 
we met one, or a party of two or three of these wild 
descendants of the son of Hagar, " whose hand is 
against every man," we were not molested. The 
greatest enemy to our progress and safety was toic- 
strings. Some of the stirrups of our Arab saddles 
were fastened with these treacherous cords, which 
broke repeatedly, nearly hurling one gentleman to the 
ground; and might have resulted in a serious acci- 
dent but for Dr. Waugh, who, being accustomed to 
riding over the foot-hills of the Himalayas, reined his 
horse across the path, and stopped the frightened 
steed ere he dashed down a declivity with the rider 
clinging to his neck. 

About half-way from Jerusalem to Jericho, on a 
high bluff, we came to the ruins of an old khan, or 
inn, known as the " Inn of the Good Shepherd." The 
walls, which cover quite an area, are partly broken 
down, and the place unoccupied, though a w^ell and 
cistern remain in the inclosure. Nearly opposite is a 
cave, possibly used for a stable formerly, but now 
occupied by a i30or, forlorn Jew, who earns a scanty 
living by dispensing coffee and goat's milk to travel- 
ers. The old khan is the only appearance of a house, 
and the cave the only habitation between Mount 
Olivet and the valley of the Jordan. 

After stopping to rest and lunch, we proceeded 
through a region more wild and grand than before, 
over mountains, on shelving rocks only a few inches 
in width, down chalky cliffs, the sun so hot in the 
gorges that we must ojDcn our umbrellas, and where 
we wished for three hands, one to hold the umbrella, 
another to hold on, and a third to guide our horse. 



. nSIT TO PALESTINE. 251 

Our Naini Tal missionary lady, tliough some experi- 
enced in horsemaiishi]), fell off, fortunately on a smooth 
S230t, without harm. We held on the best we could, 
and gradually became accustomed to crossing the 
rocky beds of mountain-streams, climbing dizzy 
heights, and descending j^recii^ices. 

For four hours we rode through this desolate re- 
gion, enlivened only by a j^rofusion and variety of 
wild flowers. We counted thirty-one varieties as we 
rode along, nearly all unlike those seen on the plains 
of Sharon, and can easily credit the statement of Dr. 
C. Geikie, that there are over two thousand varieties 
of flowers indigenous to Palestine. 

Looking down a deep chasm, we saw a rapid stream 
of water, Avith oleanders growing on its brink. On 
either side, the mountain banks were •almost perpen- 
dicular. This stream, which further on emerges from 
its rocky fastnesses, and flows across the plain of the 
Jordan into the Dead Sea, is now called Krith, a cor- 
ruption of Cherith, for this is believed to be the place 
where Elijah found refuge from Ahab, and was fed 
by the ravens (1 Kings xvii. 3-6). We were now in 
the "Wilderness of the Temptation," whose utter 
dreariness made it a fit abode for demons and wild 
beasts. What must it have been to spend forty dsijs 
and nights alone on these barren cliffs and in these 
desolate ravines. To our left towered Quarantana, 
the mountain of temj^tation. It is the termination of 
this rugged chain of mountains, and rises almost i3er- 
l^endicularly from the i^lain back of Jericho to a 
heiglit of fifteen hundred feet. Surely the lonely, the 
homesick, and the temj^ted can find in Jesus a symj^a- 
thizing friend, " who was in all points tempted like as 
we are ; " yes, even more than we ever can be. 



252 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

As we reached the last mountain, a magnificent 
view opened before us. The beautiful plain of the 
Jordan extended northward as far as the eye could 
reach, and southward to the Dead Sea, which looked 
like a polished mirror in a framework of mountains. 
The 23uri)le-tinted mountains of Moab bounded our 
vision on the east, with Mount Nebo standing like a 
sentinel guarding the plain. We thought of Moses 
surveying from Pisgah, its highest j^eak, the whole 
land of Palestine to the Mediterranean, — the Great 
Sea. Before us lay the grass-covered ruins of ancient 
Jericho, on a slight eminence in the valley, about five 
miles from the Jordan, which, like a silver thread, 
glistened along its serpentine course to the Dead Sea. 

A fearful descent was now before us. We dis- 
mounted, and, committing our horses to the dragoman 
and the muleteer, picked our way down the rocky 
defile, passing to the left the valley of Achor, where 
Achan was stoned for covetousness. Having made 
the descent, we rode for a mile and a half over the 
jjlain of Jericho, passing old aqueducts, the remains 
of Roman roads, a large reservoir, and other ruins. 
After twice fording the brook Cherith, at sunset we 
entered the little village of El Riha, or modern Jeri- 
cho. Here we left our tired beasts, and, forcing our 
way through a ragged hedge of thorns, limped into a 
low mud inn to i^ass the night. 

THE DEAD SEA. 

Friday, March 11. At seven a.m. we were again in 
the saddle, our comjoany augmented by a gentleman and 
two ladies, who arrived at Jericho a half hour earlier 
than ourselves. Much of our ride down the valley 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 253 

was over an iininliabited and uncultivated j^lain, though 
showing signs of fertility. The fauna and flora of this 
valley belong to a tropical country, unlike the plain of 
Sharon or the Judean hills. Eagles and hawks flew 
about, or lighted on the few dwarfed trees scattered 
over the j)lain ; pheasants, quails, and cranes stalked 
among the bushes and in the tall grass, which was 
brilliant with poppies. 

After an hour we descended some sand hills," and 
crossed a jjlain covered with lime and salt, destitute 
of vegetation save a few thorny acacias ; then down a 
ravine into a more fertile section, near the Dead Sea, 
which we reached at nine o'clock. The ride had been 
very Avarm, but the shore was fanned by a refreshing 
breeze, notwithstanding the sea was so placid that 
scarcely a ripple disturbed its surface. The water is 
so transparently clear that the gradually sloping bed 
can be seen far below. The pebbly beach is inclosed 
by a low fence of driftwood, fifteen or twenty feet 
from the water ; and a few yards beyond this drift- 
wood, which marks the rise of the sea at the close of 
the winter rains, we picked a few flowers that bloomed 
in the sandy soil, and preserved them to show that 
some si^anty A^egetation grows near the shores of the 
Dead Sea. 

This sea is about fifty miles in length by ten in 
breadth. Its greatest depth is one thousand three 
hundred and ten feet, and its surface is one thousand 
two hundred and ninety-three feet below the Mediter- 
ranean, making it the lowest body of water on the 
globe. It is likewise the saltest and bitterest. Beside 
various other mineral substances, the water contains 
nearly seven times as much salt per gallon as the 



254 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

M^ater of the Atlantic Ocean. It is so buoyant that 
tlie gentlemen who took a hath found it very easy to 
float lying on its surface or standing upright with the 
water nearly to the armpits, and an egg will float on it 
half out of the water. 

The sea has no outlet through the Jordan, and 
several other streams flow into it. We picked i\]y 
some small pieces of asphalt on the shore, and also some 
snait and scollop shells that j^i'obably came down the 
Jordan, as no animal life is found in the sea. A dead 
scorpion about five inches long was also j^icked up on 
the beach. 

THE EIVER JORDAN. 

After linixerino^ an hour at the Dead Sea we started 
for the ford of the Jordan, nearly opposite Jericho, 
seven miles distant, and passed on our way an old 
ruined fortress on the boundary of Judah and Benja- 
min. Riding through a slough of white mud, and 
down some sand, hills that mark the borders of the 
Jordan when it " overflowed all its banks," we crossed 
a narrow j^lain overgrown with laurel, arbutus, tamar- ' 
isk, aspen, and willow, which also fringe the banks, 
clipping their branches into the rapid stream. Here 
we encamped under the shade of a large aspen tree, a 
few feet from the water, and reclining on rugs in 
Oriental fashion, ate our dinner. Some of our party 
attempted a bath, which was accomplished under diffi- 
culties, on account of the miry banks and the swiftness 
of the muddy current. 

The Jordan is said to be clear when it issues from 
the Sea of Galilee, but becomes turbid by the alluvial 
soil through which it passes in its swift descent. The 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 255 

distance from one sea to the other, as the crow flies, is 
only sixty miles, but the river is so tortuous that it 
measures two hundred miles, and falls six hundred 
feet. It has never been navigable, and no city has 
ever been built on its immediate banks. It can be 
forded at only a few points and at certain seasons of 
the year. We read of David and his comj^any cross- 
ing it at night when fleeing from Absalom, and our 
Saviour crossed it several times. Thrice it has been 
j^arted and its muddy bed dried that the chosen of the 
Lord might pass over (Josh. iii. 14-17; 2 Kings ii. 8-14). 

We picked some mustard blossoms as a memento of 
the Jordan. Though so early in the spring the plant 
was three feet high, and so stout that it gave promise, 
as the season adA'anced, of becoming a tree, " so that 
the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow 
of it" (Markiv. 32). 

After resting for three hours we started on our re- 
turn to Jericho. When we gained the upland, Beth- 
abara, beyond Jordan, was pointed out, where Jesus 
was baptized, and the Holy Ghost descended in the 
visible form of a dove, while a voice from heaven pro- 
claimed him God's well-beloved Son. There, also, the 
Saviour abode for a time, durmg the last winter of his 
ministry (John x. 40). 

JERICHO. 

Saturday, March 12, El Riha, or modern Jericho, 
is a miserable little town of about seven mud huts, a 
long low Greek convent, a small Russian hospice, and 
a dilapidated mud inn. The garden surrounding the 
latter demonstrated the fertility of the soil. Luxuriant 
lemon, orange, aj^ple, and almond trees, an enormous 



256 ENGLAND AND THE OltlENT. 

grapevine, and a variety of vegetables ^^I'oved what 
even meagre cultivation and irrigation can accomplish. 
We picked a lemon which measured twelve inches in 
circumference one way and nine and a half the other, 
and it was so juicy that it made lemonade sufficient for 
nine persons. Water from the " pool of Elisha " is used 
for drinking and for irrigation. It is pure, soft, and 
23leasant to the taste, having remained so from the 
hour when Elisha cast into the spring a handful of 
salt, and the brackish, useless water was miraculously 
healed (2 Kings ii. 19-22). 

Our two nights at Jericho were far from comfort- 
able. In vain we sought " tired Nature's sweet re- 
storer, balmy sleep." The jackals barked and snarled 
and howled under our broken window and about the 
tents of those reposing outside ; while inside, mos- 
quitos, bugs and fleas reigned supreme, and deprived 
us of all rest. 

We rose unrefreshed, and breakfasted by candle- 
light, and were in the saddle when the sun appeared 
above Mount Nebo. Taking a circuitous route to 
view the ruins of ancient Jericho, we rode through an 
undergrowth of thorn, wild plum, and apples of Sodom. 
Only a single palm reared its stately head near the 
once beautiful " City of Palm-trees." 

Riding up to ' the fountain of Elisha, our horses 
plunged into the bright, cool lakelet uj) to their knees. 
It lies almost under the ruined walls of the city, which 
were built of small unhewn stones, and were not over 
two miles in circuit. Here and there the remains of 
an arch, a broken column, or a hewn stone, told the 
tale of a once opulent city, answering in every respect 
to the site of the Jericho whose walls fell down after 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 257 

they were encompassed seven days by the hosts of 
Israel (Josh. vi. 20), and afterward rebuilt in the days 
of Ahab by Hiel, the Bethlehemite (1 Kings -xvi. 34). 
These irregular mounds, and the clear water bubbling 
ujD from its bed of white sand, sj^eak the j^ower of God 
and confirm the words of Inspiration. 

Slowly we ascended the mountains, going ujo the 
path often trodden by kings and prophets in past ages, 
and where some of our Saviour's most beautiful par- 
ables were delivered, as he walked, or rested under 
the shadows of these great rocks, on his final journey 
to Jerusalem. 

It grew cold as we continued our ascent. If we 

learned what was meant by going '■''down to Jericho^'' 

we also comprehended what it was to " go up to Jenc- 

salemP 

BETHANY. 

A slight shower overtook us before we reached 
Bethany, where we stoj^ped to see the home of Martha 
and Mary, and the tomb of Lazarus. It is significant 
that this little village, on the southeast of Olivet, is 
now called by the natives El-Lazareh. As we looked 
at the broken walls of two rooms, the stones carved 
in rude bas-relief, we knew that here, or very near this 
spot, our Saviour found welcome and repose, love and 
attention. 

A little further up the hill, we entered a low door, 
and Avent down twenty-six' stone steps, much worn by 
time and pilgrim feet, into a room about seven feet 
square, thence doAvn more steps into a narrower room 
whence tradition says that Lazarus came forth, at the 
bidding of his friend and Lord. Surely nought but 
the voice of God could penetrate to the innermost 



258 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

recess of this rock-hewn cavern. The tomb seemed 
old enough to date back to the time of Christ, and 
thongh two tombs of Lazarus are shown, one on the 
opposite side of the narrow street, it is not certain 
that Lazarus did not occupy both, as he was twice 
dead and buried. . 

The blossoming apricots and budding vines and fig- 
trees lent something of picturesque beauty to the old 
village, though its houses looked almost in ruins, and 
shelter only about two hundred inhabitants. 

THE MOUNT OF OLIYES. 

We ascended Olivet from Bethany by the road over 
the mountain which David trod in his old age, bare- 
foot and weeping, when driven from his capital and 
palace by his ungrateful son Absalom (2 Sam. xv. 30). 
And Jesus walked up this road, while two of his dis- 
cij^les were gone to Bethphage for the colt, for his 
triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. 

Ours was a difficult and dangerous ride. The wind 
blew almost a hurricane, with slight dashes of rain ; 
the hill towered above us ; rocks and stones lay in the 
deep gully beneath ; and the road was a mere bridle- 
path along the edge of a frightful chasm. On the top 
of the mount, we found shelter in the Church of the 
Ascension until the sudden shower was over. Ac- 
cording to Catholic usage, a stone, with the imprint of 
a foot, marks the spot from which Christ ascended. 
This spot, however, does not agree with the Gospel 
narrative. Luke describes the locality "as far as to 
Bethany," and " from the mount called Olivet, a Sab- 
bath-day's journey," — i. e., fifteen furlongs, while the 
top of Olivet is not much over a mile from St. Ste- 
phen's gate. 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 259 

It may be said truthfully, " Olivet is one great altar," 
consecrated by the footsteps, the tears, the prayers, 
the agony, the triumph, the shame, and the ascension, 
mid a convoy of angels, of Jesus, the Messiah. 

From this mount of vision may be seen the land of 
Palestine from beyond Jordan to the Great Sea, and 
from Hermon and Carmel, to the Desert of Paran. A 
hundred objects of historic interest in this land of the 
Bible stand out before us. Prophets, apostles, and the 
world's Redeemer, have thrown around the cities, vil- 
lages, mountains, valleys and seas now in sight more 
interest than can be said of any other standpoint in 
this world. 

The view of Jerusalem is magnificent, with its hun- 
dreds of white domes and minarets. The entire wall 
is Adsible, two and a half miles in circuit, with an 
average height of thirty-eight feet, adorned with bas- 
tions, and thirty-four towers. The four hills can be 
readily located, though the rubbish of rej^eated demo- 
litions has almost filled up the intervening valleys. 
Mount Moriah, with its mosques and temple inclosure, 
lies nearest us ; Bezetha to the right, the least pop- 
ulated ; Mt. Zion on the south, beyond Moriah ; and 
Acra to the northwest. 

Around the city are narrow, deep gorges, except on 
the north, and beyond these the encircling mountains, 
illustrating the words of the Psalmist, " As the moun- 
tains are round about Jerusalem, so is the Lord round 
about his peoj^le forever." 

We thoikght of the many times that Jerusalem has 
been besieged, and its walls thrown down and rebuilt, 
since a thousand years before Christ, when David took 
this stronghold from the Jebusites. During the reign 



260 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

of Rehoboam, it was taken by Shishak, king of Egypt 
(2 Chron. xii. 9) ; taken a hundred years later, during 
the reign of Jehoram, by the allied armies of Philistia 
and Arabia (2 Chron. xxi. 16). Sixty years after 
Jehoash, king of Israel, broke down the wall and car- 
ried off the treasures of the -Temple ; B. C. 590, 
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city, and carried the 
people captive to Babylon (2 Kings xxv. 8-11). It 
was rebuilt by Nehemiah, surrendered to Alexander 
the Great, and was restored to the Jews by the Mac- 
cabees. About a hundred years later, it was conquered 
by the Romans under Pompey; Avas fortified and 
beautified by Herod ; besieged and taken by Titus, 
A. D. 70, and the wall leveled. It was rebuilt by 
Hadrian, but prohibited to the Jews until the reign 
of Constantine. Conquered by the Ottomans, wrested 
from them by the Crusaders, but reconquered, it is 
held to-day by Turkey, though two-thirds of its pop- 
ulation of thirty thousand are Jews, and the remainder 
about equally divided between Moslems and Christians. 

THE GAEDEN OF GETHSEMANE. 

On the east of the Kidron, at the foot of Olivet, and 
half a mile from the city wall, we came to a high, 
cemented wall which incloses the Garden of Gethsem- 
ane. A Franciscan monk opened a low door by which 
we entered the inclosure of about an acre, divided by 
a white picket fence into four gardens, which are care- 
fully tended and irrigated. Here the rose and the 
passion flower, lavender and rosemary, -violets and 
sweet alyseum, with wormwood and saffron, bloom in 
perennial beauty. Tall cypresses give a mournful 
aspect to the ground, but the objects of tenderest care 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 261 

that riveted our attention are eight old olive-trees, 
gnarled and hollow, timeworn and broken, yet assidu- 
ously watered and guarded. For at least twelve hun- 
dred years these trees have memorialized this spot, 
and they probably sprung from others (as is the habit 
of the olive), which may have sheltered our Lord in 
the night of his agony, when his sweat fell as great 
drops of blood to the ground. Under the largest 
olive-tree our little company wejDt and lifted their 
hearts in prayer. 

The scenes of that sad night of anguish and betrayal 
became strangely vivid on the ground that drank 
his blood, and where the midnight dew mingled with 
his tears. This is unquestionably the hallowed spot 
referred to in John xviii. 1. The monk kindly gave 
us some flowers and olive leaves for preservation. 

Outside the garden we resumed our horses, and 
rode to the Damascus gate, and at half-past one p. m. 
were again at our hotel in safety, feeling better than 
when we left on Thursday noon, though we had ridden 
sixty miles on horseback in the last fifty hours, over 
the roughest and most diflicult path we ever traveled, 
and spent two sleepless nights in Jericho. 

THE "TOMB OF THE KINGS." 

A walk of twenty minutes from the Damascus gate, 
on the road to Sychar, brought us to the Tomb of the 
Kings, the most magnificent of the ancient tombs 
about Jerusalem. Having knocked at a gate in a low 
Avail, we were admitted to a large court mostly occu- 
pied by tweuty-six stone steps cut in the solid rock. 
Some of these steps were more than a yard in width, 
with gutters to convey the rain to three cisterns at 



262 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

the foot of the stairs. Here we turned to the left and 
passed through an arch hewn in the solid stone wall, 
four feet thick, and entered a second open court, also 
hewn from the rocky ledge, larger than the first, being 
ninety feet long and seventy-two wide. 

The western side is decorated by a lofty portico, in 
which formerly stood two Corinthian columns, j^arts 
of which remain. The top of the j^ortico is exquisitely 
chiseled in fruits and flowers, but no name or inscrip- 
tion as to who were buried here. Within the portico, 
at the left, is a door only a yard high, and beside it is 
a great round stone, fifteen inches thick, in shape like 
a grindstone, standing in a groove that it may be 
rolled in front or back from the door of the sepidchre. 
This stone brought to mind the words of the women 
while on the way to the tomb of Christ (Mark 
xvi. 3). 

We first entered an ante-room twenty-four feet 
square, and from this opened three others with stone 
doors turning on stone hinges in stone sockets. These 
rooms were about twelve feet square, with a raised 
shelf two feet high, and niches cut in the rocky sides 
for the reception of bodies. The ornamented panels 
which once closed the niches lay broken on the floor 
of these stone caverns. From the third room some 
steps conducted to another apartment further down in 
the bowels of the earth. Various conjectures have 
been made concerning the occupants of this subter- 
ranean palace for the dead. It is more than probable 
that it is one of the works of Herod the Great, made 
for the tomb of the numerous Herod family. 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 263 

A WALK ABOUT JERUSALEM. 

The gi'ound slightly ascends from the northern wall 
of the city, but the other three sides are guarded by 
natural moats ; the deep, narrow valley of Jehosha- 
phat on the east, with the bed of the Kidron to con- 
duct the rains to the Dead Sea — the natural reservoir 
of Palestine ; the valley of Hinnom on the south, which 
now receives the sewerage of the city ; and the valley 
of Gihon on the west. The wall is very largely 
founded on natural rocks, and looks as though it 
might have been impregnable before the age of gun- 
powder, but a few cannon planted on Olivet would 
soon demolish it. The city is entered by four princi- 
pal gates: the Damascus gate on the north, Sto 
Stephen's on the east, Zion gate on the south, and 
Jaffa gate on the west. The ground east of the city, 
on both slopes of the Kidron, from the wall to near 
the summits of Olivet and Oi^hel, is one great burying 
ground, for Jew, Moslem, and Christian have rejoiced 
in the privilege of sleeping in or near the valley of 
Jehoshaj^hat, 

The rocky eastern side of the valley is cut into 
tombs, among them being the tomb of Absalom, or 
pillar, which he reared in the King's vale (2 Chron. 
xvii. 18), The only water used in Jerusalem is rain 
water stored in numerous cisterns; yet many of the 
old pools remain about the city. Following the valley 
of Jehoshaphat till opposite the village of Siloam, we 
came to a fountain called the Pool of the Virgin, but 
believed by many to be the real Bethesda. This is an 
intermittent fountain, the water ebbing and flowing 
like the tide but not with like regularity. Dr. Robin- 



264 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

son, who saw it rise a foot in five minutes, crept 
through a subterranean passage one thousand seven 
hundred and fifty feet long, and found it led to the 
Pool of Siloam lower down in the valley. 

Following " Cool Siloam's shady rill," flowing under 
the shadow of a great rock, we came to the Pool of 
Siloam, fifty-three feet long and eighteen wide, with 
pillars and arches, and steps leading to the water. 
The walls are overhung with vines and flowers, making 
it a spot of picturesque loveliness and interest, aside 
from its connection with one of the miracles of Christ 
(John ix. 7). 

A SUNDAY ON MOUNT ZION. 

It had been a cherished desire to sj^end a Sabbath 
in Jerusalem and worship on Mount Zion, where David 
composed many of his inspired hymns ; where the ark 
rested until the temple was prepared for its reception; 
in the one spot in Jerusalem where God is worshiped 
without pictures or candles, images or rosaries. 

At ten o'clock we repaired to the residence of Col. 
Wilson, United States consul, who escorted us to the 
English church, a neat Gothic structure adjoining the 
British consulate. An ofiicer, in Turkish uniform, the 
attendant of the consul, preceded and made way for 
us to the house of God. At the close of the Church of 
England service, prayers were offered for Victoria, the 
Emperor William of Germany, the President of the 
United States, and the Sultan of Turkey. Canon 
Tristan, of England, preached a strong evangelical 
sermon in the morning, and Rev. E. H. Bickersteth, 
author of "Yesterday, To-day, and Forever," did the 
same in the evening. 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 265 

THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE. 

About two hundred yards from tlie Dung gate, a 
little sheep gate on the south side of the city, sur- 
rounded by a Avild growth of prickly pear, we found 
an old arch discovered by Dr. Robinson, which con- 
firms the inspired record that a passage spanned the 
Tyropoeon valley and connected Mount Zion with 
Mount Moriah, the ascent by which Solomon went up 
to the House of the Lord (2 Chron. ix. 4). 

Further on at the extremity of a crooked lane we 
came to the Jews' Wailing Place, a retired spot, 
against the west Avail of the temple inclosure. Here 
they have Avalkd off a court, some seventy feet long 
and tAventy broad, and pay their tyi'annical Mohamme- 
dan rulers for the privilege of coming to weej) over 
the desolations of Zion. 

The lower roAvs of massive stones are the remains of 
the old wall of the temple platform, left by Titus to 
show the strength of the city he had conquered. As 
no Jew is permitted on the platform, this is their 
nearest approach to the sacred inclosure. On Friday 
the CA^e of their Sabbath, the Jcavs, from the patriarch 
of fourscore to the little child, assemble here to pray 
and read the Prophets ; but som'e come on Saturday 
and on the Lord's day. While Ave stood looking at the 
great stones draped with hyssop, a majestic-looking, 
elderly man, with unmistakable Jewish features, came 
to the spot, kissed the cold stones, and bowing his 
head in a broken niche of the wall sobbed a prayer. 
Nothing during our long tour affected us as this sight. 
We bowed our heads and Avept with him, while Ave 
longed to take him by the hand and point him to 



266 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Jesus his Messiah, but we could not speak Arabic. 
For centuries they have been coming here from all 
lands, and of all ages. We saw hundreds of " nails 
driven in a sure j^lace," between these stones to attest 
their faith in the ultimate restoration of their country. 

BETHLEHEM. 

Monday, March 14. At an early hour we rode out 
to Bethlehem, about six miles south of Jerusalem. 
There is a passable road by way of the upper valley 
of Hinnoni, past the "Home for destitute Jcavs," 
erected by Sir Moses Montefiore of England, and 
crossing the valley of Rephaim where David fought 
and routed the Philistines in two battles (2 Sam. v. 18- 
25). This valley is free from stones and cultivated, 
and is the only smooth land in the vicinity of Jerusa- 
lem. Several men were ploughing, one with a camel, 
another with an ox and an ass yoked together, forbid- 
den by the law of Moses (Deut. xxii. 10). 

In the lowest part of the valley we came to the 
" Well of the Magi," where tradition states, the star 
which they had seen in the east, reappeared and went 
before them until it stood over the place where the 
young child was (Matt. ii. 9-10). 

On an eminence stands the Greek Monastery of Mar 
Elyas founded A. D. 1160, From this point the two 
most noted cities in the world's history are in sight, 
Jerusalem to the north, Bethlehem to the south. In 
the valley below is Rachel's tomb, a Moslem structure, 
over the i3ile of stones that for nearly four thousand 
years has marked the grave of Jacob's young and 
lovely wife, who " died and was buried in the way to 
Ej)hrath, which is Bethlehem " (Gen. xxxv. 19-20), 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 2(37 

Bethlehem lies on tAvo hills a little higher than Jeru- 
salem, being two thousand five hundred and twenty- 
seven feet above the Mediterranean. The sides of the 
liill are finely terraced and planted with grape-vines 
and fig-trees, which are now putting forth their leaves. 
On the plains below are some fields of barley, green 
and luxuriant, for Bethlehem signifies the " house of 
bread." Here Ruth may have gleaned after the 
reapers of Boaz (Ruth i. 22 ; ii. 2). 

Before entering the town we stopped at the wells of 
David, six in number , and very deep. It was from 
these wells David desired water when the Philistines 
had encamped around Bethlehem, and he was hiding 
from Saul in the cave of Adullam (2 Sam. xxiii. 14-17). 

Bethlehem, though one of the oldest, is the freshest 
and cleanest town we have seen in Palestine. Many 
of the buildings are comparatively new and some sub- 
stantial stone houses are in j^rocess of erection. The 
population is about five thousand, mostly Christian, 
though only fifty are Protestants. Many are said to 
be descendants of the Crusaders. Their industry is 
shown in the beauty and variety of their manufactures 
of fancy articles in mother of pearl, olive wood, and 
asj^haltum, and in their finely cultivated gardens, 
orchards and vineyards. We could but notice the 
beauty of the women and children, their round rosy 
faces, sparkling eyes, and plump forms, set off to 
advantage by their coquettish costume. As we 
entered the gate and rode through the narrow street 
to the market-place, it was difficult to realize that we 
were in the City of David, and close to the birth-place 
of our Redeemer, 



268 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

THE CHUKCH OF THE NATIVITY. 

The church of the " Nativity," or " St. Mary's," is 
erected over the traditionary cave or stable in which 
Jesus was born, and is the joint property of Greeks, 
Latins, and Armenians. This old church, which is 
believed to date back to A. D. 330, is entered by a low 
door, perhaj^s four feet high, in a wall without win- 
dows. In the nave are twenty-four pillars of red 
sandstone veined with white, and tlie walls are orna- 
mented with gilded mosaics representing the ancestors 
of Christ, according to the flesh. The nave is walled 
off from the remainder of the church. The central 
door leads to the Greek Chapel, from whence a stair- 
way conducts us to the Chapel of the Nativity, a rock- 
hewn room with several grottoes, once j^robably stalls 
for cattle, but now called by various names. 

" The Grotto of the Nativity," with fifteen lamps 
burning in it around a silver star, marks the birth-place 
of Jesus. Another contains a manger covered with 
marble representing the place where Mary laid her 
first-born son. Several other j^laces are shown, as the 
tomb of Jerome, of Eusebius his pupil, and of Paula 
and her daughter, who accompanied Jerome to Pales- 
tine. On a level with these grottoes is Jerome's study, 
where by a single window he made the Vulgate trans- 
lation of the Bible. 

Beyond the old churclj is the j)lain on which the shep- 
herds " watched their flocks by night," and so near 
the place of the nativity, that the angel song may have 
been the first sound that greeted the ears of the infant 
Saviour. On these same plains, now clothed in vernal 
beauty, David may have been keeping his father's 



VISIT TO PALESTINE. 269 

sheep when summoned by Samuel to be anointed 
king over Israel ( 1 Sam. xvi. 11-13.) 

FAREAVELL TO PALESTINE. 

Tuesday, March 15, We left Jerusalem at two p.m. 
yesterday, stopped over night at Latroon, arrived at 
Jaffa at one o'clock to-day, and at four p.m. were 
rowed out to the 'Russian steamer Olekh. She will 
not leave until ten o'clock to-night as there is a large 
cargo of oranges, lemons, wheat, and almonds to be 
taken on board. Meanwhile we are regaled by the 
delicious odors from the orange groves, and enjoy the 
sunset on the Mediterranean, and the soft light of the 
full moon over the land of Palestine. 

The few days we have passed in this land of the 
Bible will not be forgotten while we live, and we 
would like to remember them in heaven. We have 
been happily disappointed in the variety and beauty 
of the landscape, and the fertility of much of the 
country, notwithstanding the curse of God has rested 
upon it from the days when its inhabitants said, " His 
blood be upon us and upon our children." We have 
been astonished and delighted to find how perfectly 
the topography of the whole country corresponds with 
the geography of the Bible. We have seemed to be 
traveling through the Bible where every minute 
incident fitted to its place. Our faith in the histori- 
cal exactness of the word of God has been Avonder- 
fully confirmed, and no less in the Divine inspiration 
of the sacred text. 



270 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 



CHAPTER YI. 

ACEOSS THE CONTINENT. 

AN EGYPTIAN LAZARETTO. 

Satueday, March 19. When the Olekh approached 
Port Said last Wednesday, a pilot-boat came out, 
and the order was given to "run up the yellow 
flag, and proceed no further than the quarantine 
station," — a low, unpainted building, looking like 
a coal-shed. As we neither understood Russian nor 
Arabic, it was some time before we were able to 
comprehend the strange proceedings. Finally, we 
learned that we were suspected of having the plague 
on board, because we had come from Syria, and the 
plague was raging at Bagdad in Mesopotamia. We 
failed to see the immediate connection of the two 
points. The steerage passengers were all in good 
health, and we were above suspicion, as we had not 
been within a thousand miles of Bagdad ; but Egypt 
suffered from ten plagues about thirty-five hundred 
years ago, and is still suspicious of anything from the 
land of Israel, so the Khedive has ordered all ships 
from Syrian ports into quarantine. 

The captain waited for further instructions. At 
four P.M. a telegram came : " Proceed to Alexandria." 
We wanted to stop at Port Said, but must be " car- 
ried whither we would not," as no one was ]3ermitted 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 271 

to land ; but a lighter was filled with oranges intended 
for that port, and quarantined to a buoy in the harbor. 

Thursday morning we arrived at the 23rinci23al sea- 
port of Egypt; a pilot came promptly on board to 
take us into the harbor, but was terribly frightened 
when he found we were from Syria. He was not 
permitted to return to the pilot-boat, as he was in- 
fected as soon as he touched the side of the shi|). 
The yellow flag was again flying from the mast-head. 
Oflicials came in boats, and communicated with the 
captain at a safe distance. We were to abide in the 
ship until the next day, but were permitted to send 
letters ashore, which were carefully fumigated before 
being handled. One from our English companions in 
tribulation to the British Consul received immediate 
attention. He came out in a boat, and promised to 
do what he could for their release. The one sent by 
the American I3arty to the United States Consul was 
received, but might as well have been addressed to 
the pyramids, though he was informed that President 
Hayes had given us a letter of commendation "to 
the kind oflices of all diplomatic, naval, and consular 
agents of the United States in foreign lands." 

Friday afternoon an old scow was towed alongside, 
and the imperious order given " all aboard ! " The 
representatives of John Bull decidedly refused to be 
huddled in with seventy-five pilgrims and their hetero- 
geneous lot of bedding and household stuff. A small 
boat was consequently provided for the English and 
Americans, and all were towed ashore, where colored 
soldiers stood guard to prevent our escape, and at the 
point of the bayonet ordered us into some old freight 
cars. A first-class car had been promised the obsti- 



272 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

nate Englishmen and Americans. It proved to be a 
plain board car, years ago discarded, and since used 
for a hen-roost. This queer passenger-train was run 
some four miles out of the city into a swamp, where 
it stopped before the " Lazaretta Garbari," or pest- 
house. 

Here we were escorted between files of colored 
soldiers, with fixed bayonets to keep us at a safe 
distance, into a walled inclosure, and locked into 
some old stone barracks. They had been white- 
washed after our arrival in the harbor, but were 
damj) and musty, and were much better suited to 
communicate the plague than to receive plague- 
stricken patients. We suffered from the plague of 
hunger, having eaten nothing since breakfast till ten 
o'clock at night, when our colored guard marched us 
out to dinner. A single candle lighted the long, cold, 
dismal room, where a dozen men and women, Ameri- 
cans, Englishmen, Italians, and the Egyptian jiilot 
were to j^ass the night. Without disrobing we tried 
to rest, but beneath the straw pillows some enormous 
cockroaches resented our intrusion, while a swarm of 
fleas appeared to enjoy our society. 

Morning came ; the quarantine officers pronounced 
us all looking well, and when they had given us some 
bread and tea, promised us release after paying 
charges, — eight francs each for quarantine expenses, 
and ten for bread and lodging, — three dollars and 
sixty cents each for sixteen hours' accommodation. 
Before liberating us, we were fumigated with sulphur 
and vitriol, our luggage smoked and inspected by the 
custom-house officers, and our passports demanded. 
When all was over, we were turned adrift without 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. ^73 

even a hen-roost provided to take iis back to Alexan- 
dria. We found some hacks, and returned in time to 
learn that the steamer had sailed for Italy two hours 
before, which comj^els us to remain until Tuesday, 
when another steamer leaves for Naples. 

Monday, March 21. Our stay in Alexandria has 
been made pleasant by the kind attentions of Rev. 
Mr. Scott, of the Scotch Presbyterian mission, wdiose 
church we attended yesterday, and whose flourishing 
schools for Jews and Egyi3tians we visited this morn- 
ing; and also the schools of the American United 
Presbyterian Mission. 

SICILY AND ITALY. 

Friday, March 25. Tuesday morning we were 
rowed out to the French steamer Peluce, of the"' 
Messageries Maritimes, en route for Naples and 
Marseilles. The sea was calm when we started, but 
the wind rose during the afternoon, and the sun set 
in a cloud. For two daj^s Ave exjjerienced the dis- 
comforts of a storm on the Mediterranean, but out- 
rode it in safety with the loss of several hundred 
quails. Twenty thousand live EgyjDtian quails formed 
part of our cargo, and reminded us whenever we 
passed their crates of the quails sent to the Israelites 
in the wilderness. 

The " toe of the boot," — ^. e., the southern portion 
of Italy — was first seen about noon. During the 
afternoon a constantly changing landscape, of unusual 
loveliness, was spread before us. On the east were 
the snow-capped Apennines, with orange-groves and 
vineyards at their base, interspersed with j^^lensf^nt 
towns and hamlets. As we ap| roacliv J t'^c ;;:;r:Vi/.:it 



274 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

part of the Strait of Messina, we had a fine view of 
Reggio, the ancient Rhegium, and at the same time of 
Sicily, which had been i:)reviously enveloped in a cloud 
of smoke from Mt. ^tna. Sicily is densely popu- 
lated, and very fertile. Messina, nearly opposite 
Reggio, the largest town, has one hundred and twelve 
thousand inhabitants, and one of the best harbors on 
the Mediterranean. When we had passed out of the 
Strait, which is but thirty-four hundred yards wide at 
its northern entrance, we obtained a good view of Mt. 
^tna, rising on the northern side of the island, ten 
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five feet above the 
sea. Smoke was issuing from one of the three craters 
on the side of the mountain, while its conical to]) 
appeared to be covered with snow. At evening we 
passed Stromboli, one of the Lipari Islands, a solitary 
mountain, rising from the water to the height of three 
thousand and twenty-two feet, and called the " light- 
house of the Mediterranean," as smoke and fire are 
always issuing from its hollow summit ; yet, strange 
to say, a town of six thousand inhabitants lies on the 
northern side of this active volcano in the sea. 

NAPLES. 
Satuedat, March 26. The city lies on the north- 
ern shore, and twenty miles from the entrance to the 
beautiful Bay of Naples ; Vesuvius, and its twin 
mountain, Rosetta, rise from the plain on the eastern 
shore. The city, with its suburbs, has a population of 
six hundred thousand, is closely built, rises at first 
gradually from the shore, then abruptly, to the fortress 
of St. Elmo, on a rocky hill, and stretches westwaii'd 
along the promontory of Posilipo. Its suburbs extend 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 275 

eastward and southward along the base of Vesuvius. 
The volcano towers forty-five hundred feet above 
them, and looks as if it could as easily destroy them 
as it did Herculaneum and Pompeii eighteen hundred 
and two years ago. Smoke and steam constantly issue 
from its top, and assume many fantastic shapes as they 
rise into the cool upper air, painted by the sun with 
all the hues of a sunset sky. While sitting at break- 
fast this morning in the Hotel. Washington, a large, 
solid stone building, it was shaken to its foundation 
by a slight earthquake shock, whose main force was 
felt forty miles distant. 

Finding we could not reach Rome before the Sab- 
bath, we visited the " Museum Rationale " this after- 
noon. Its galleries of painting and statuary represent 
the schools of Raj^hael, Correggio, Angelo, and other 
famous artists ; busts and statues of Roman emperors 
and Greek divinities ; full-size equestrian statues, cut 
from a single block of marble ; and largest of all, the 
" Farnese Bull," a grouj) of figures of wonderful vigor 
of execution, — a strange picture in stone, dating back 
to the time of Caracalla. The most interesting objects 
were the spoils of Herculaneum and Pompeii, — fres- 
coes and mosaics, marble vases and baths, richly deco-. 
rated in bas-relief, and the household furniture and 
cooking utensils of eighteen hundred years ago. 

SUNDAY m NAPLES. 

Monday, March 28. We passed a quiet Sabbath, 
attending service at the Scotch Presbyterian Church, 
and afterward learned that there is a Wesleyan church 
ill the city that has an English service, and a number 
of Protestant Italian churches. All the Catholic 



276 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

churches were closed, and the gates locked Sunday- 
afternoon, but the shops were open as on other days, 
and the driving on the broad street back of our hotel, 
extending along the bay, gave the Sabbath the appear- 
ance of a great gala-day. 

POMPEII. 

We reached this buried city after a ride of fifteen 
miles by a railroad along the base of Vesuvius, passing 
Herculaneum, and over fields of lava. Pompeii lies 
eight miles southeast of Vesuvius, with a valley be- 
tween it and the volcano. It would seem that nothing 
but the judgment of God could have caused this proud, 
idolatrous, licentious city to have been destroyed by 
an eruption of the volcano at that distance. 

It was a beautiful walled city, founded by a Greek 
colony from Syracuse, and was visited by an earth- 
quake A. T>. 63, which threw down most of its houses. 
The wcrk of rebuilding had not been fully completed, 
when August 24, 79, Vesuvius, for the first time in the 
history of man, rained a shower of ashes three feet 
deep. Then succeeded a few hours of quiet, in which 
the larger portion of its population of from twenty to 
thirty thousand escaped. It is estimated that about 
two thousand perished. The shower of ashes was 
succeeded by one of pumice-stone, then ashes and 
tufa, until the city was buried twenty feet deep. The 
weight crushed in most of the roofs, and threw down 
the statuary, but the walls of the houses remain, with 
the frescoes as fresh on those recently excavated as if 
painted yesterday. About two-thirds of the city has 
been excavated. 

The ai^pearance of Pompeii on the outside is that of 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 277 

a large earthwork. Within, the streets are narrow, 
and paved with great blocks of stone, in which the 
chariot-wheels have Avorn deep ruts. The sidewalks 
are raised from ten to eighteen inches, and paved with 
marble and mosaic. The shops are small, and many 
of the marble counters remain, and the signs may still 
be read across the front. Even the scratches and cari- 
catures made by naughty boys on the walls have not 
been effaced. The dwellings have no windows on the 
street, but a vestibule leads to a series of apartments 
surrounding a beautiful square court, with a fountain, 
or impluvium, in the centre. Lead-pipe conveyed the 
water to the fountains and baths. 

We looked in a baker's oven, which was found full 
of loaves, as perfect in shape as if made to-day, but 
burned black. Apricots and other fruits, thoroughly 
dried, and a basket of eggs, some not broken, a great 
variety of pans and strainers, jelly-moulds, and other 
kitchen furniture, brought us into contact with the 
daily life of the people. The Civil Forum, with the 
statue of Jupiter at the north end, and the Tragic and 
Comic Theatres, showed us where the people were 
accustomed to assemble. The temples to the manifold 
gods of Greece, Egypt, and Rome were beautiful 
specimens of architecture, and adorned with statuary, 
but painfully showed that the city was wholly given 
to idolatry, while the houses of ijrostitution, whose 
walls were still covered with obscene pictures, indicate 
the sad moral state of the people. 

Looking through a small, grated window, we saw a 
poor prisoner in chains, lying on his face, in his dun- 
geon, half buried with ashes. Outside the walls, at 
the lower end of the Street of the Tombs — costly 



278 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

piles of masonry, covered with slabs of marble, and 
surmounted by statuary, — we came to the house of 
Diomedes, the wine-merchant and innkeejDer. It is 
the largest dAvelling we entered, being two stories in 
height, and containing many apartments richly em- 
bellished. Fifteen bodies were found in the extensive 
wine-cellar, one with a bunch of keys and bag of 
coins, supposed to be the master of the house. We 
could see the print of the bodies, where they leaned 
against the wall when smothered with ashes and gases. 
The bodies are petrified, so that not only the form, but 
bones, flesh, and hair, and even the clothing, remain. 
Returning, a heavy shoAver overtook us, and we found 
shelter in a large public bath, whose handsome stuc- 
coed ceiling is nearly perfect, and where we could see 
the ancient conveniences for hot, cold, and steam 
baths, and their beautiful waiting and dressing rooms. 
After eighteen centuries the buried city is exhumed, 
to prove a truth similar to the Bible record of the 
destruction of Sodom — God's wrath against sin. 

ROME. 

Wednesday, March 30. A delightful ride of seven 
hours, through thousands of acres of vineyards, and 
then among the western ridges of the Apennines, Avith 
strange walled and fortified ancient Etruscan towns 
perched on the highest cliffs, brought us to the Cam- 
pagna surrounding Rome. This great fertile plain, 
watered by the Tiber, a narrow muddy river, is 
several hundred square miles in extent, and for half 
an hour we passed the ruins of immense buildings and 
aqueducts which belonged to Rome when she was 
mistress of the world. 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 279 

Mr. G. Gordon met us at the station, and welcomed 
us to Rome. A sliort walk up the Esquiline Hill 
brought us to his residence, opposite the great church 
of Santa Maria Maggiore. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon are 
Scotch Presbyterians, descended from the nobility, 
who, having abandoned high life, have studied the 
Italian language and come to -Rome to assist in the 
evangelization of the people. They have two chapels 
in their house, one for family devotions and women's 
meetings and the larger one for public services ; both 
of these are placed at our service, but, thinking we 
should be weary with our journey and expecting us to 
remain two *weeks, they have arranged the first meet- 
ing for Friday evening. 

Rome is full of fountains, statuary, architectural re- 
mains, and objects of interest. Modern Rome is clean 
and beautiful, with wide smoothly-paved streets, high 
buildings, and good water, and has a population of 
over three hundred thousand. The city has improved 
in every respect since Sept. 20, 1870, when Victor 
Emmanuel made it the capital of united Italy. It is 
still a walled city, and its ancient fountains, arches, 
columns, temples, forums, and baths are scattered 
about the city, though most numerous in the southern 
section. It abounds in costly churches, embellished 
with marbles, statuary, paintings, and mosaics. 

ST. pet:Er's church. 

Thuesday, March 31. jSt. Peter's is the largest 
church edifice on the globe, covering eight acres, and 
costing -fifty million dollars. In front is a large semi- 
circular court, with a double colonnade on each side, 
surmounted with figures of the saints. In this court 



280 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

are two great fountains, and between them an obelisk 
which once npheld the statue of Nero, but now that of 
St. Peter, for the church occupies the site of JSFero's 
Circus. The outside of this immense building is far 
from beautiful, as it is built of small, thin brick, 
painted yellow, and no marbles or ornamentation 
except that the portico is crowned with statues of 
Christ and his apostles, and on each side of the broad 
stone steps are statues of St. Peter with the keys and 
St. Paul witli a two-edged sword. 

Plain as is the exterior, the interior is magnificent ; 
the walls, floor, and pillars are covered with a variety 
of polished marbles. It is six hundred and thirteen 
feet long without bemg divided except by the high 
altar under the dome, before which we can stand and 
look up four hundred feet. The dome has double 
walls, within which is a spiral staircase leading to the 
ball, which will hold sixteen persons. On the ball is a 
statue of St. Peter, making the total height four hun- 
dred and sixty-four feet. The square pillars which 
supj^ort the arches are twenty-five feet in circuit, and 
those which supi^ort the great dome are one hundred 
feet around — all are embellished with mosaics and 
statuary. 

The bronze figure of St. Peter sitting in a chair is 
placed to the right, before we reach the rotunda. The 
great toe of the right foot is partially worn away by 
the kisses of Catholic men, women, and children. On 
a high platform in the apse is said to be the old 
wooden chair of St. Peter, now incased in bronze, and 
under the dome his tomb, around which thirty-two 
golden lamps, fed with olive oil, are constantly burn- 
ing. The chapels and tombs in the aisles contain 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 281 

some fine paintings, and the mosaics of the Annuncia- 
tion and Transfiguration, from paintings by Raphael, 
which are wonderful exhibitions of taste and skill. 

THE VATICAN. 

Friday, April 1. This morning we visited a small 
part of the great Papal Palace — the Vatican. This 
pile of yellow-washed bricks contains eleven thousand 
halls, saloons, corridors, and private apartments. Since 
the Italian occupation the pope has secluded himself 
within these rooms and the adjoining spacious gardens. 
The Museum, on the west side of the Palace, is entered 
by a corridor covered with ancient inscriptions, and 
contains forty rooms filled with statuary of man and 
beast, allegorical figures, urns, and sarcophagi of por- 
phyry polished like a mirror, baths elaborately carved 
in marble and granite, columns of alabaster, Egyptian 
remains, and Etruscan, Greek, and Roman antiquities. 

Returning to the east side, or front, we went up two 
hundred and fifty easy stone steps to the galleries of 
paintings, and to the Sistine Chapel^ where the Pope 
performs mass — a dull room, except its magnificent 
frescoes by Michael Angelo. The ceiling represents 
the Creation, and was the work of years. The Avhole 
upper end, forty-five feet in width, is covered by "The 
Last Judgment." This picture, though a marvel of 
art, is a strange blending of inspiration and super- 
stition, of Christianity and paganism, like every thing 
connected with the Church of Rome. It would be 
impossible to describe the thousands of rare paintings 
scattered through these great galleries, which have 
been accumulating here for centuries, and are the 
masterj)ieces of the world's great artists. We only 



282 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

glanced into the Library^ which contains twenty-four 
thousand manuscrij^ts and fifty thousand printed books, 
and did not desire to see Pope Leo, who expects all to 
whom he gives audience to kneel and kiss his hand. 

MONUMENTS AND REMAINS OF ANCIENT ROME. 

Saturday, April 2. This morning, with Dr. Ver- 
non for our guide, we visited several places of interest, 
passing the Fountain of Moses^ which covers perhaps 
six square rods, and consists of natural-looking gray 
rocks, Avith the water gushing forth from many crev- 
ices. Moses stands in the centre with uplifted rod, an 
angel on each side, one or two horses, and several per- 
sons rushing eagerly forward to drink. All the figures 
seem full of life. Thence we went to the Forum of 
Trajan. It is now many feet below the street, the 
broken columns still keeping their ancient position, 
and the great Column of Trajan, of white marble, 
towering eighty-seven feet, with historic scenes in bas- 
relief, arranged spirally about it, to the top where 
stands the emperor. This is one of the most beauti- 
ful monuments in this city of monumental si^lendors. 

We then visited the church of " &an Pietro-hv- Yin- 
coli^'' or St. Peter in Chains. On the lid of a money- 
box Ave read, or rather Dr. Vernon translated for us, 
" Cliarity for the worship of the venerable chains." 
The chains which the church claims once bound the 
apostle are kept under lock and key, and only exhib- 
ited on great public occasions. But the one thing 
which drew us to the old church was the statue of 
Moses, — Michael Angelo's masterpiece. This colos- 
sal statue is carved from a block of yelloAvish alabaster, 
and represents the Lawgiver of Israel descending 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 283 

from Sinai. His right arm is thrown protectingly 
around the sacred slabs written with the finger of God. 
He has caught sight of the camp and beholds the 
golden calf surrounded by debased and ungrateful 
Israel. The lofty indignation which wreathes the 
brow, the pain that trembles in the eyes, and the sub- 
lime purpose that speaks in the firm-set mouth, make 
it no cause for wonder that Angelo, as' he gave the 
finishing touches to his greatest work, in frenzy, struck 
the eloquent stone and said, " Speak., thou canstP 

Passing the Forum Roinanu7n^ and through the 
Arch of Titiis^ built to commemorate the conquest of 
Jerusalem, ornamented with bas-reliefs representing 
the golden candlestick and vessels of the temi^le, and 
then through the Arch of Constantine., recording the 
triumphs of Christianity, we came to the Colosseum. 
After viewing its vast proportions, and noting its three 
distinct styles of architecture, marked in the columns 
and architraves of its successive stories, and the places 
where its bronze ornamentation was riveted to the im- 
mense walls, we entered the arena, surrounded by 
stalls which seated eighty-five thousand people at the 
inauguration, when thousands of captives were slain, 
either in gladiatorial combat or by wild beasts. Many 
Christians here received the crown of martyrdom, and 
the jH'isons, and underground passages through which 
the wild, hungry lions and tigers rushed into the arena, 
still remain. 

We passed on to the Thermm of Caracalla^ an 
extensive pile of ruins, two stories in height, beauti- 
fied with marble, porphyry, mosaic pavements, and 
sculpture, — a monument of the luxurious tastes of 
the ancient Romans. It was begun by Caracalla in 



284 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

A.D. 212, and completed by Alexander Severus. With- 
in these immense brick walls were hot, cold, and steam- 
baths, which would accommodate sixteen hundred 
bathers at once. There was also a great library, a gym- 
nasium, an arena for trials of speed, a hall for debates 
and poetic recitations, and a large race-course. 

APPIAN WAY AND CATACOMBS. 

From the Thermae of Caracalla we passed through 
the gate, down the straight, linely-paved, rounded 
Ajypian IVai/, with the remains of ancient tombs on 
each side. Up this road came the victorious armies of 
Rome in triumphal procession, bearing the spoils of 
conquest, and leading their captives in chains. Over 
this road came Paul, chained to a soldier, and encour- 
aged by the friends who Avent out to meet him. 

We stopped before the exit to the Catacombs of 
St. Calixtus. After walking across a large field for 
about a fourth of a mile, we obtained a guide and 
candles, and descended some steep stone steps into 
narrow, tortuous passages, with graves cut in the soft 
tufa, one above the other about four tiers deep. Most 
of them are very narrow, merely deep enough to slip 
in the body wrapped in a winding sheet, the back, 
shelf, and ends .being of solid rock, and the opening 
in front closed by a thin slab of marble, bearing the 
name, date, and some inscription of faith or love. 
Most of the cavities are open, having been rifled 
during the wars that devastated the city. Occasion- 
ally we came to a little chapel whose walls were 
frescoed with emblematic figures. The dove and the 
peacock predominated, signifying peace and immor- 
tality. In the chapel of St. Cecilia are several paint- 



ACEOSS THE CONTINENT. 285 

ings, and an altar and place for a lamp for the per- 
secuted Christians met in these dark, damp subter- 
ranean cells, among their dead and martyred friends, 
to worshi]^ Christ their Redeemer. 

ST. PAUL, OUTSIDE THE WALLS. 

We next visited tlie church of St. Paul outside the 
walls, on or near the spot where the apostle was be- 
headed. It was founded in 388, burned in 1823, 
rebuilt and dedicated by Pius IX. in 1854, and cost 
125.000,000. It is built on the exterior of large blocks 
of hewn stone. The portico in front is embellished 
with a beautiful and appropriate mosaic representing 
a wounded lamb upon an altar, beneath Avhich flows the 
water of life in many channels. Above the altar is the 
dove, and on each side are six sheep in the attitude of 
waiting, eager obedience. The interior is lined and 
paved with costly marbles and stones of various hues. 
The church is divided into double aisles by enormous 
columns of j)olished granite brought from the Sim- 
plon. Two columns of cream-tinted oriental alabaster 
beautifully veined, at the main entrance, and four up- 
holding the canopy of the high altar, were presented 
by the Viceroy of Egypt. The malachite pedestals of 
these columns were the gift of Nicholas, Czar of Rus- 
sia. These brilliantly polished blocks of veined green 
stone are set with panels of lapis-lazuli, a stone of a 
deep 23urple hue, veined witli red and gold. Ranged 
closely together above the columns, and extending four 
times the length of the aisles, are portraits of all the 
23opes from St. Peter to Leo XIII. These are aU 
mosaics, and appear of life-size, though they must be 
colossal, as they are placed at so great height. Precious 



286 ENGLAND AND THE OKIENT. 

stones are set in these portraits, and the pujoils of 
many of the eyes are composed of diamonds that 
glisten like life. Between the pillars are scenes in the 
life of St. Paul. 

ST. JOHN LATERAN AM) PILATE'S STAIECASE. 

In the afternoon we went to the church of St. John 
Xateran, the old Lateran palace converted into a 
Christian church in the days of Constantine. It is a 
basilica, and the columns, which resemble those in St. 
Peter's, are adorned with colossal statues of the 
twelve ajDOStles. In the crypt where one of Rome's 
noble families and a number of the earlier popes are 
buried, is a I^ietd or image of Mary with the dead body 
of Christ, which is exquisitely touching ; a single lamp 
is so arranged in the dark crypt as to throw a soft- 
ened light over the white figure, making it solemnly 
beautiful. 

Opposite the church is a chapel devoted to the 
worshij) of the S'ccda /Scmta, or Pilate's Staircase, 
claimed to have been brought from the judgment hall 
of the Roman Prefect at Jerusalem. We saw more 
than a hundred persons moving up these thirty-two 
steps on their knees. In 1510, while thus doing 
pepance on these stairs, there dawned on Martin 
Luther's mind the text, "The just shall live by faith," 
and this, the commencement of the Reformation, -gave 
interest to the place in our Protestant eyes. The 
stairs have become so worn by the knees that have 
climbed them for hundreds of years that they are now 
protected by a wooden coverings beneath which may 
be seen the old stones. 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 287 



OUR MEETmGS IN ROME. 

Our detention by the Egyptian quarantine prevented 
our reaching Rome before Conference closed and the 
preachers left for their several fields of labor, and as 
we were already advertised to be in England, we only 
remained in Rome until Monday, holding five services 
in the meanthne. The first and second were in Mr. 
Gordon's chapel, Friday and Saturday evenings, Avhen 
nearly all the Protestant ministers of Rome were 
l^resent, including Dr. Yernon, of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, superintendent of our Italian mission, 
Mr. Pickett, of the Wesleyans, Mr. Wall, of the Bap- 
tist Church, and Dr. Gray, of the Free Church of 
Scotland. 

It was arranged to hold three services in Dr. Ver- 
non's church on the Sabbnth. What a change a few 
years have made in this capital city of Catholicism, 
where until recently no Protestant public worship was 
tolerated I Mr. Wood was temjDorarily disabled, and 
Mr. McDonald conducted all the Sabbath services. 
After attending the Sunday school, he preached to the 
usual Italian congregation. Dr. Yernon acting as in- 
terpreter. In the afternoon there was a large union 
service of all the Italian Protestant congregations, 
when Mr. Pickett (Wesleyan), interj^reted, and in the 
evening a union English service, which was followed 
by a season of prayer and consecration. Much regret 
was expressed that we could not remain longer. 

FROM ROME TO PARIS. 

Wednesday, April 6. On Monday at half-past ten 
A. M. we bade adieu to Dr. Yernon, who is doing a 



288 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

great work in Rome, and to our hospitable friends, 
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, and started for Paris, via Flor- 
ence, Turin, and Mont Cenis Tunnel, arriving in the 
city this morning. The ride from Rome to Florence 
was uj) the valley of the Tiber, through vineyards and 
blooming orchards, succeeded by a varied landscape 
of mountain and 23lain, j)assing the mountain lake 
Trasimeno, thirty miles in circumference and eight 
hundred and forty-six feet above the sea. On its 
shores, B. C. 217, Hannibal, in his invasion of Italy 
from the north, during the second Punic war, defeated 
the Romans under, the Consul Flaminius, who ^\^as 
slain and fifteen thousand of his army. After passing 
through four tunnels and seeing a rainbow span the 
mountains, we arrived at Florence, a beautiful city on 
the Arno, of one hundred and sixty-seven thousand 
inhabitants. Here we only stopjaed a few moments, 
and then sped onward to Turin, riding through the 
wild, romantic scenery of the northern Apennines 
during the night. Though the Po is only a small 
mountain stream at this point, Turin is a large city, 
containing nearly a quarter of a million people. 

At Turin we took breakfast and changed to a first- 
class car for our ride through the Ali^s. The car was 
warmed by pans of hot water. Wild and wilder 
became the moutain gorges ; high and higher towered 
the cold white peaks, " Alps on Alps." After passing 
through tunnel after tunnel, one two miles long, and 
cascades and waterfalls, — among them that of Cham- 
mont, where the water descends two thousand five 
hundred and twenty-six feet, — at noon we entered the 
Mont Cenis Tunnel, eight miles in length, and were 
twenty-four minutes in passing through. This tunnel 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 289 

is eight thousand three hundred and thirty-eight feet 
above the sea, and yet four thousand and ninety-three 
feet below the summit of the mountain. 

When we emerged from the tunnel, Mont Blanc 
towered above and beyond the mountains around us. 
Nothing could be colder or more majestic than these 
heights covered with perpetual snow, Avhile the sides 
of the mountains were clothed with birches, larches, 
and stunted pines, and around us the delicate green 
sod was dotted with pale blue crocuses ; below us were 
blooming apricots and j^runes, and still lower down 
were carefully terraced vineyards, showing the changes 
of vegetation from frigid to semi-tropical zone. 

At Modena, on the line between France and Italy, 
we changed cars, and our luggage was examined by 
the Custom House officers. Thence w^e rode onward 
to Ma9on, where we expected to pass the night ; but, 
obtaining a second-class comj^artment to ourselves, 
decided to spend another night on the train, and so 
obtain a day instead of only a night in Paris. 

PAEIS. 

Paris, the gay, magnificent capital of France, and 
the second city in Europe, having a population of 
two millions, though not properly a walled town, is 
entirely surrounded by fortifications or earthworks, 
twenty-one miles in circumference, and entered by 
gates placed at convenient distances. It li^s on both 
sides of the Seine, which is crossed by twenty-six 
bridges. Its streets are wide, finely paved, with 
rounded curbs at the corners, and many shade-trees. 
It abounds in open squares, arches and columns, foun- 
tains and gardens. The Grecian order of architecture 



290 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

predominates. The government buildings are neat 
and substantial, and on each we read the motto of 
the republic, — Liberie^ EgaliU et FraternitL 

We rode down the Boulevard du Sevastoi^ol to the 
Cathedral of Notre Dame, which is grand in its pro- 
portions, and richly ornamented on the exterior ; but 
it appears severely cold and bare within after seeing 
the gorgeous churches of Rome. We next visited the 
beautiful Church of the Madeleine, built by Napoleon 
for a Temple of Fame. It is approached by twenty- 
eight broad steps, and surrounded by a portico sup- 
ported by fifty-tvv^o lofty Corinthian columns. The 
interior is decorated in gilt, and with fine paintings, 
wood-carvings, and statuary. Passing down the Rue 
Royale, we came to the Place de la Concorde, the 
most extensive ornamental place in Paris. In the 
centre is an obelisk, brought from ancient Thebes, 
resembling Cleopatra's Needle, which covers the spot 
where the guillotine was erected during the " reign of 
terror," when this now lovely square ran with the 
noblest blood of France. To the north and south 
are large fountains, and around the place are alle- 
gorical statues, representing the eight chief towns of 
the kingdom. The square is surrounded with beauti- 
ful buildings and gardens. On the east is the inclosed 
garden of the Tuileries ; running west is the Champs 
Elysees, leading to the Arch of Triumph, with the 
gardens and Palais Elysee, the resort of the gay, to 
the right, and the Palais de I'Industrie on the left. 
The Arch of Triumph, probably the finest arch in the 
world, was erected by Napoleon, the corner-stone being- 
laid in 1800, on his thirty-seventh birthday, and is cov- 
ered with the names and bas-reliefs of his ffreat battles. 



ACROSS THE CONTINENT. 291 

Passing southward through the Avenue du Roi de 
Roma, one comes to the Exj^osition Buildings of 1878, 
on each side of the Seine. As we had not time to 
visit them, we crossed a bridge to the east near the 
Hotel des Invalides, a large, fine group of buildings, 
an asylum for disabled soldiers founded by Louis 
Xyj., and which will accommodate five thousand 
pensioners. Under the great dome of the Church of 
the Invalides is the Tomb of Napoleon. Above the 
entrance to the tomb we read the request of the 
"Great CajDtain," inserted in his will made at St. 
Helena : " I desire that my ashes repose on the banks 
of the Seine, in the midst of the French joeople whom 
I so dearly love." The sarcophagus is cut from a 
single block of red porphyry, weighing nearly seventy 
tons. It is plain but highly polished, and on it was 
laid a natural wreath of immortelles. South of the 
Hotel des Invalides is the Chamj) de Mars, the scene 
of many historical events, the last being those of the 
fiendish communists in 1871. Beyond the Palais du 
Luxembourg we came to the Pantheon, built for a 
Temple of Honor by noted French infidels, and the 
names of Voltaire and Rousseau are inscribed on its 
walls, though it is now called the Church of St. Gene- 
vieve. After seeing the ruins of the Palace of the 
Tuileries and the bronze column Vendome, we re- 
turned to our hotel satisfied with our outside view 
of Paris; and persuaded that,' notwithstanding its 
churches are mostly Catholic, and it has half as many 
theatres as churches, its republican government is 
becoming stable, and that the leaven of Protestantism 
is working among the people. Already about one- 
sixth of its churches, and thirty-six thousand of its 
population, are Protestant. 



292 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 



CHAPTEK yil. 

EETURN TO ENGLAND. 

CROSSING THE CHANNEL. 

Early yesterday morning, April 7, we left Paris for 
London by the Northern Road to Calais, passing over 
the cold flats of Normandy, which showed few signs 
of spring except the absence of snow and ice. After 
a ride of seven hours we arrived at Calais and went 
on board a roughly built steamer to cross the Strait to 
DoA^er. As soon as the breakwater was passed, the 
steamer entered a rough sea that sent the big waves 
over her deck. The little craft rolled and plunged, 
leaped and dove among the cross currents and con- 
tending waves of the North Sea and the English 
Channel for two hours, until she reached Dover, with 
its old castle on a rocky bluff overlooking the watery 
l^ass to the continent. 

After an absence of one hundred and seventy-two 
days we were once more on English soil, where our 
native tongue is spoken, and where the people are 
Anglo-Saxon and Protestant. It seemed like getting 
home; we felt as though we were no longer in a 
foreign land, but among our own people, and devoutly 
praised God for his providential care and goodness. 
On our arrival in London we were warmly welcomed 
by Messrs. Senior and Maylott, who conducted us to 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 293 

a i^leasant home in the east of London, where a meet- 
ing is to commence on Sunday. AVe find an adver- 
tised programme for more meetings than we can 
possibly hold. 

STEPNEY GREEIS^ TABERNACLE. 

Thursday, April 14. Our first meeting was at 
Stepney Green Tabernacle, belonging to the Primitive 
Methodists. Here we were able to hold only six ser- 
vices, commencing Sunday and ending last evening. 
Mr. McDonald j^i'eached the first sermon, j^resenting 
the theme of Bible Holiness in his clear, vigorous, and 
finished style. The people heard gladly, and the open- 
ing service was one of consecration and salvation. Li 
the afternoon we enjoyed a delightful sacramental 
occasion, closing with an altar service, in which some 
sought pardon and others purity. Mr. Wood ])reached 
in the evening to a deej^ly interested congregation. 

Each service became better and better, and every 
altar service witnessed the salvation of some souls. 
The testimonies of Rev. Mr. Maylott and his ofiicial 
members were clear and strong for full salivation. 
The church was prompt and greatly blessed, and in so 
short a time we have not seen more saved than in this 
first meeting after our return to England. Although 
in the midst of a revival, and urged to hold services 
at other points in London, we must leave this morning 
to fill engagements at the north, made before our 
arrival by Messrs. Beckworth and Woolley, prominent 
lay preachers of the Primitive and Wesleyan societies. 



294 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 



LEEDS. 

Monday, April 18. We arrived in Leeds last 
Thursday eveniog, and the next day being "Good 
Friday," a series of services Avas held in Belle Vue 
Chapel, beginning at half-past two and closing at 
half-past nine p. m. Though a rainy day, there was 
a large attendance. The prayers, the singing, and 
the testimonies evinced that preachers and j^eople had 
maintained their position as witnesses for full salva- 
tion, and been growing steadily in grace during the 
past seven months since we were here. At five o'clock 
the first service closed or adjourned until after tea, in 
the lecture room, where about three hundred persons 
sat down to bountifully spread tables. After tea a 
praise service occupied an hour, when the regular 
evening service began. It was a night of love, conse- 
cration and power. Many were saved and retired 
from the chancel to give place to others, and the 
altar was filled again and again. 

Sunday was a pleasant, spring-like day, and the 
three services were attended by large and interested 
congregations. The evening service continued for 
over three hours, and then the interest was so great 
and so many were seeking the Lord, it was difiicult to 
close the meeting. 

LEICESTER. 

Monday, April 25. Leicester is an enterprising 
town of one hundred and thirty thousand inhabitants 
in the centre of England. It is famous as being the 
place where the notorious Richard III. was acciden- 
tally killed, and where Cardinal Wolsey, Lord Chan- 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 295 

cellor under Henry VIII., died probably by i^oison. 
It is more pleasantly noted for the ministrations 
of Eobert Hall, the renowned Baptist divine, who 
preached here from 1808 to 1826 in a church still 
standing. 

Our meeting has been held in St. Nicholas Street 
Primitive Methodist Chapel. The superintendent, 
Rev. J. Odell, and his associate. Rev. M. Jefferson, 
entered heartily into the work. Though the weather 
was unfavorable, the evening services were crowded 
and those in the afternoon increased daily. At the 
twelfth and last service, Sunday evening, the chancel 
rail and nearly all the middle tier of pews in the large 
chapel Avere filled with those who were seeking pardon 
or 23urity. Not less than two hundred persons testi- 
fied that they had been either converted or cleansed 
during the six days of the meeting. We had been 
announced to spend ten days in Leicester, and greatly 
desired to do so, as the work seemed only well begun, 
but felt obliged to divide the time with Shefiield, 
where we promised to hold our first meeting on our 
return from India, and it was published to commence 
April 3, but our detention in quarantine j^revented our 
reaching here at that time. 

SHEFFIELD. 

Saturday, April 30. When passing Sheffield on a 
train it ajopears a great smoky place filled with foun- 
dries and tall chimneys, but its suburbs are very pleas- 
ant, and we have seen much to admire in this active 
town, noted the world over for its cutlery. 

Our services were held in the old Bethel Chapel, as 
it is central, and the meeting was intended for all the 



296 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Primitive societies, which are numerous and strong in 
Sheffield. It was necessarily limited to five days, com- 
mencing on Monday and ending last evening, giving 
time for only ten services, but these were not witliout 
blessed results. The people appeared to think the 
time was short and they must make the most of it ; 
consequently pastors and people pressed at once " into 
the inner temple." Revs. Messrs. Fallas, Barfoot, 
Martindale, Barber, and others rejoiced in the cleans- 
ing power of Christ's atonement. At the closing ser- 
vice last evening fully eight hundred persons were 
present, and the brethren could not close until past ten 
o'clock, and the people seemed ready to stay till mid- 
night. 

The warmth, simplicity, and earnestness of the 
Sheffield Methodists made us deeply regret that our 
stay among them must be so short. 

GKIMSBY. 

Saturday, May 7. Southeast of Hull, on the right 
bank of the Humber, is the neat, growing town of 
Grimsby, the largest fish-market in the kingdom. The 
variety and immense quantity of fresh fish landed on 
its docks are astonishing. We have passed a de- 
lightful week here with the people of Flottergate 
Protestant Methodist Chapel. The house is large, 
new, and beautiful, and at first the people were un- 
demonstrative, and moved slowly. Our company were 
not in the best of health. The long journeys, the 
protracted labors, and the exhaustion incident to going 
rapidly from point to j^oint, and striving to do the 
most for God and the people in the least time ; and 
perhaps more than all these, the change of climate 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 297 

from India to the north of England, have quite dis- 
abled some of our comi^any, and are j^roducing their 
results upon all of us. 

The meeting commenced on Sunday with three ser- 
vices, and continued until Friday, with one each after- 
noon and evening. The afternoon meetings have been 
attended largely by ministers and Christian Avorkers. 
Three men professed conversion on Sunday, and some 
have found the Saviour every evening. The church 
seems thoroughly roused. Mr. Harrison and his col- 
league have entered into the spirit of the meetings. 
The last service was a regular Pentecostal time, when 
the whole large congregation felt the presence of God, 
and many were powerfully baptized. We were ex- 
pecting to go from here to Newcastle, but have been 
obliged to recall that apj^ointment, much to our regret, 
and greatly to the disappointment of the people there, 
but are persuaded that duty to ourselves and families, 
and to our churches at home, which are anxiously 
awaiting our return, demand that we cease for a time 
these exhausting labors, and return to America. 

ST. HELEN'S. 

Monday, May 9. In accordance with a promise 
made Rev. M. Wilshow, before we left for India, to 
hold a few services in the Primitive Methodist Chapel 
at St. Helen's, we left Grimsby at an early hour Friday 
morning, and arrived in Liverpool about noon, where 
we were met by some of the dear friends from Ever- 
ton Chapel. At four o'clock, we started for St. Hel- 
en's, ten miles north from Liverj^ool. This is the home 
of Rev. Mr. Pascoe, whose writings on Christian holi- 
ness are familiar to many Americans, and who favored 



298 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

our country with a visit in 1877. Though pastor of 
the Wesleyan Chapel, he was present at our first ser- 
vice, and welcomed us to his home. The services of 
Saturday and Sunday were sweet and j^recious. The 
church received a blessed uj^lift, and a number entered 
into the " rest of faith." St. Helen's seemed to us a 
good place for revival effort. Its inhabitants are 
chiefly workmen in the iron foundries and glass fur- 
naces, and no people are more hopeful, or make more 
sincere and earnest Christians, than those who are 
engaged in the great industrial pursuits of a civilized 
country. 

FAREWELL MEETIN^G AND FINAL ADIEU. 

Wednesday, May 11. Having held five services in 
St. Helen's, we returned to Liverpool, where we were 
invited to a farewell meeting on Tuesday evening. 
Though intended to be a quiet and somewhat private 
service, at least five hundred persons were present, 
nearly all of whom were in the enjoyment of full sal- 
vation. The testimonies of preachers and laymen 
showed that holiness had become their life and joy. 
Rev. W. Tharnie, a prominent and talented local 
preacher, remarked that he believed " the Lord sent 
Brothers Inskip, McDonald, and Wood to remove the 
bitter pill from the mouths of the English people that 
Dr. Talmage put in them by his unfortunate lecturing 
business." We were sorry anything connected with 
the visit of one of our American clergymen should 
have given cause for this and like expressions, which 
we heard at many places in England. 

Since our return from India, we have heard encour- 
aging reports from the points where we labored in the 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 299 

summer and autumn. One minister said he received 
a baptism in our meetings which resulted in the con- 
version of three hundred souls on his circuit during 
the winter. As we were going to Chapel, a young 
preacher of the Salvation Army, who was holding a 
meeting in the street, hastened across the square to 
clasjD our hands, and said, "I was converted in your 
meeting in Hull, last September, and liave been work- 
ing for souls, as you see." Conventions and meetings 
for the i^romotion of holiness have been held in many 
places during the winter, and the interest in the sub- 
ject has become far more general than before our visit 
to England. Rev. J. E. Page, editor of the " King's 
Highway," said, in reference to the visit of the Amer- 
ican brethren, " You and those with you worked hard 
Avhile among us here. It was no holiday visit, but 
fruitful of labor and its reward." 

The final j)arting from the dear people of England 
reminded us of Paul when leaving the church at ^ph- 
esus (Acts XX. 36-38).. At three p. m., we were met 
at the landing-stage by a large concourse of fi-ieuds, to 
shake hands once more, and bid us farewell, many of 
whom went on board the ferry-boat, and accompanied 
us to the ship, remaining with us until she sailed, at 
half-past five o'clock. The hearty " God bless you," 
the tearful good-by of these friends, and the waving 
of hat and handkerchief as they returned on the boat, 
and we steamed toward the west, impressed our hearts 
with the kindness, depth of sympathy, and love of 
these friends of Jesus Avith w^hom we have been asso- 
ciated in England. God bless them forever ! 



300 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 

Monday, May 23. The steamship England re- 
sembles the Erin in size and build, being also of the 
National Line. We anticipated another voyage with 
Captain Andrews, as we understood he had been 
transferred to this ship, but were surprised and pained 
to learn, after we came on board, that he died on his 
last trip, the third day out from New York, and was 
buried at sea. 

We started from Liverpool with thirty cabin and 
twelve hundred steerage passengers, and took on three 
hundred more at Queenstown, which made one thou- 
sand six hundred and fifty-three souls on board, includ- 
ing officers and crew. Those in the steerage comprised 
quite a number of nationalities. There were some 
Welsh and English, who loved the Lord, and sung 
praises to Him on Sunday and other days. There 
were steady, order-loving Scandinavians, and many 
excellent people among the L'ish and German emi- 
grants ; but we are sorry to say there were some who 
neither feared God nor regarded man, but danced and 
played cards on the Lord's day, and were a grief to all 
the sober and respectable people on board. 

We have seldom met with a more agreeable class of 
saloon passengers. The first Sabbath was a cold, 
rainy day, and the sea was rough enough to cause some 
sea-sickness, but Mr. Wood preached to quite a con- 
gregation, as those in the steerage who understood 
English were permitted to come into the saloon. The 
second Sabbath was a mild, beautiful day. All were 
feeling well, and the congregation was large. Mr. 
McDonald preached a sermon which seemed inspii'ed 



HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 301 

with truth and light, and which few who heard will 
forget, — certainly not those who had advanced skej)- 
tical sentiments at the table and elsewhere. Among 
the saloon passengers were Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, 
missionaries of the American Board, who have been 
laboring in Armenia. In Mrs. Reynolds we found an 
earnest, working Christian, who assisted Mrs. Mc- 
Donald and the writer in conducting some meetings 
in the cabin, which nearly all the ladies attended. 

The shores of our own country came in sight at 
eight o'clock this morning. Four hours and a half 
later we stopped at quarantine, but were not detained 
long, as there had been no death or contagious disease 
on the ship, and very little sickness. Notwithstanding 
the steerage was so crowded, the emigrants looked 
better when they arrived at N'ew York than when they 
left Liverpool and Queenstown. 

After twelve days on the sea, the view of Staten 
Island was most enchanting. The beautiful villas 
embowered in blooming orchards, the shady lawns, 
and waving grass in the meadows and on the sloping 
shores, made it look like an earthly paradise. When 
we left England the grass was short and the buds were 
only beginning to unfold their leafy treasures. We 
seemed suddenly to j^ass from the first dawn of spring 
to the luxuriance of summer vegetation. A little 
English lady, who had been sea-sick all the voyage, 
after gazing on this beautiful view of the new world, 
exclaimed, " I am paid already for all I have suffered, 
and am afraid if I could live there, I should never 
want to die." When we had passed the forts that 
guard the Narrows, the lovely panorama of New York 
bay was spread before us, with its flowery heights, 



302 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

its beautiful islands, and its wealth of shipping, carry- 
ing the flags of all nations, and our own Stars and 
Stripes predominating; and as we approached the 
metropolis of the Western World, with its church- 
spires the most prominent objects among its piles of 
buildings, our hearts were too full for words. We 
sought our staterooms to weep tears of grateful joy. 
To our American eye the Bay of Naples, with its 
smoking Vesuvius, its rocky promontories and vol- 
canic islands, its orange groves and vine-covered ter- 
races, and the city crowned with the old castle of St. 
Elmo, Avas less beautiful than New York harbor this 
lovely May day. 

At two o'clock we stepped on shore without need- 
ing to be transferred to a row-boat or steam-tug, and 
did not find our custom house officers less courteous 
or more exacting than those of foreign lands. Three 
hundred and thirty-one days have passed since we 
sailed out of this dock. We have spent eighty-two 
nights on the sea in nine different steamers, yet there 
has been no death on board of any, and no accident 
that endangered the life of a single passenger. We 
have travelled over six thousand miles by rail without 
accident or detention ; we have not been dangerously 
ill, though subjected to a great variety of climate, and 
taxed by more than four hundred and thirty exhaust- 
ing religious services. Truly the promise on our title- 
page has been fulfilled : — 

" Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all 
13laces, whither thou goest, and vnll hring thee again 
into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have 
done that which I have spoken to thee of." 



AROUND THE WORLD* 



CHAPTER VIII. 

AROUND THE WORLD. 

CALCUTTA. 

Monday, Jan. 17, Mr. and Mrs. Inskip left us at 
Liicknow for a journey of seven hundred and forty- 
five miles through the valley of the Ganges, passing 
near Benares, with its five thousand pagan temples and 
shrines, and arrived at Calcutta, the capital of British 
India, early Wednesday morning. At Allahabad they 
broke their journey and obtained a night of rest in the 
hospitable Union Zenana Mission. Then succeeded 
twenty-four hours on the hard seats of a second-class 
East Indian car, cheerfully endured for Christ's sake, 
and soon forgotten in the warm welcome of Dr. Tho- 
burn and Rev. Mr. Oakes, and in the delightful home 
of the lady who was the first to seek a clean heart in 
the Tabernacle meeting at Bombay. 

Calcutta is situated on the Hoogly river, the 
principal channel of the Ganges, and is the largest 
city in India, having a population of eight hun- 
dred thousand. Though a hundred miles from the 
Bay of Bengal, it is next to Bombay in commercial 
importance. It abounds in parks and avenues, and is 
called the " city of palaces," because of its varied and 
costly oriental and fine government buildings. Its 
inhabitants are chiefly Bengalees, though there are 
other Indian nationalities and many English and 
Eurasians. The work of the Methodist Episcopal 



304 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

church in Calcutta inckides the largest Methodist 
church in India — built by Dr. Thoburn, and having a 
large English-speaking congregation, — a flourishing 
native church, the self-supj^orting boarding-school of 
the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, under the 
charge of Miss Layton, a Home or Orphanage, and tlie 
finest and most efficient Seaman's mission perhaps in 
the world. During the year 1880, eight hundred sea- 
men sought tlie Lord at its chapel services. 

Mr. Inskip opened his meeting at the large Drum- 
tollah street Methodist Church on Thursday evening, 
Jan. 20th, and it continued for three weeks, during 
which he j^reached twenty-two sermons to large and 
attentive congregations, beside holding several early 
morning meetings for prayer and consecration. The 
church had been passing tlirough a season of trial such 
as comes to most churches at some period of their 
existence, and consequently was not in a hopeful state 
for revival effort, but j^rayer, faith, and faithful preach- 
ing prevailed. A prominent church member, who had 
been decidedly opposed to special meetings for the 
promotion of holiness, was among the first to express 
his desire for a clean heart, and other influential mem- 
bers of the church and congregation followed, some 
seeking restoration and others jiurity. As the meet- 
ing progressed the chancel rail and front pews were 
crowded with those desiring pardon or purity, Mr. 
Inskip's host being among those happily converted. 
The work was quiet, deep, and thorough, moving for- 
ward with increasing interest, and at every service 
some were saved. The opposition to holiness melted 
away as the people came to understand that it was 
received by faith, and its life was love. Sabbath 



AROUND THE AVOKLD. 305 

evening, Feb. 6, fifty persons came to the altar, and 
thirty of them testified to having found the Saviour, of 
whom several were Mohammedans. 

Mrs. Inskijj assisted her husband, leading the people 
as at other places in hymns of praise, and pointing- 
seekers to the "Lamb of God who taketh away the 
sin of the Avorld." She also held four very precious 
children's services, in which some scores of young 
people professed conversion. At the closing service, 
Wednesday evening, fully two hundred rose to testify 
that, during the meeting, they had been converted or 
wholly sanctified, and the services closed with a tide 
of solemn gladness no words can describe. 

A tearmeeting was arranged for Friday evening, as 
Mr. and Mrs. Inskip were to leave on the morrow. 
The room was beautifully prepared for the occasion, 
being festooned with the flags of several nations, and 
the most prominent j^osition given to the Stars and 
Stripes. An abundance of flowers of richest hues and 
sweetest fragrance added to the beauty of the scene. 
It was a pleasant and useful gathering, which old and 
young enjoyed, though there was the sadness incident 
to a parting, to meet no more until death is swallowed 
up of victory. The following from Mr. In skip's pen 
expresses his feelings when leaving India : — 

" From the time we were so cordially received and hos- 
pitably entertained by Brother J. Morris and his family 
in Bombay until we left the princely home of brother and 
Sister Atkinson in Calcutta, we were treated with the 
greatest kindness and fraternal attention. Preachers 
and people everywhere haA'-e given us the right hand 
of fellowship and aided us in our work. Bishop, pre- 
siding elders, pastors, missionaries and Christian work- 



306 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

ers of all denominations have smiled uj^on our humble 
endeavors, and all the members of our j^arty will ever 
remember their visit to India. The friendships con- 
tracted during our brief sojourn here will never be 
forgotten. The memory of the precious seasons we 
w^ere permitted to enjoy, and the glorious triumphs of 
grace we witnessed Avill encourage and embolden us to 
further efforts in our Master's cause. In one sense we 
never can leave India. India will remain in our mind 
and heart evermore. Of these workers and their work 
we shall never cease talking, and for it and them we 
shall devoutly pray that God may send prosperity and 

success." 

VOYAGE TO CEYLON. 

Saturday Evening, Feb. 12, the same day and 
almost the same hour that we sailed out of the harbor 
of Bombay, Mr. Inskip and wife, accompanied by Mr. 
Gardner, went on board the steamer Indus at Calcutta 
for a voyage to Point de Galle, in Ceylon. As they 
were sailing down the Hoogly the next day they 
passed the American ship " Daniel I. Tenny," of New- 
buryport, Mass., carrying the Stars and Stripes. Mr. 
Inskip, not thinking any except his party of three 
would respond, proposed "three cheers for the red, 
white, and blue," but no small number of the passen- 
gers caught the insj)iration. The flag was gracefully 
dipped, and the crew of the Tenny answered the 
cheers in characteristic style. After the affair was 
over, a number of the passengers came and introduced 
themselves, among wdiom were two clergymen from 
Philadelphia and one from Boston. Though of other 
schools of theology, they all believed in the Bible, and 
gloried in the flag of their country. 



AROUND THE WORLD. 307 

A sail of a few clays with pleasant comi^any on the 
Bay of Bengal, and our friends landed at Galle, where 
they anticipated enjoying a much needed rest of ten 
days before the Australian steamer would arrive with 
Rev. W. B. Osborn and wife, who were to accompany 
them to Australia. 

CEYLON. 

Galle is a pleasant town on the southern coast of 
Ceylon, and lias been for two thousand years an im- 
l^ortant trading post. Mr. Inskip stopped at a hotel 
within the old Dutch fort, directly in sight of the 
Indian Ocean, while to the north he could look off 
into a great tract of jungle where ele23hants and tigers 
roamed in wild freedom. Some of his associates at 
the table cVhote had come for an elephant hunt, and 
Mr. Inskij) was invited to join them, but he was out 
on a different expedition and did not care to spend his 
leisure days in the jungle unless he could hunt men to 
bring them to Christ, and with the thermometer at 95*^ 
the old stone fort was probably more comfortable than 
the jungle. 

The island of Ceylon is separated from the main- 
land of India by the Gulf of Manaar, sixty miles in 
width. The island is shaped like a j^ear, and contains 
about three times as many square miles as the whole 
of Palestine, and has two and a half million inhab- 
itants, while Palestine has less than four hundred 
thousand. Mount Pedrotallagalla and some other 
peaks are over eight thousand feet in height, being- 
more elevated than the highest points of the Alle- 
ghany Mountains. Its leading products are coffee, 
cocoa, rice, cinnamon, and tropical fruits. Strange 



308 ENGLAND AND THE OEIENT. 

incongruities meet in this island of the tropics, — 
poisonous rej)tiles and beautiful birds, a sultry, humid 
atmosphere and refreshing sea-breezes. Its rivers and 
shores swarm with crocodiles and sharks, and are rich 
in sapphires, rubies, and pearls ; its homes are infested 
by repulsive insects, and surrounded by delicate shrubs 
and gorgeous flowers. Surely it is a country of strik- 
ing contrasts. 

Mr. Inskip is always intending to rest, and always 
ready for work. An invitation had been received to 
hold a meeting among the mountains, but the distance 
was too great with the meagre facilities for travelling 
in Ceylon. On the Sabbath, by request of Rev. Mr. 
Wickramsinghe, who acted as interpreter for Rev. 
William Taylor during his labors in Ceylon, Mr. In- 
skip preached in one of the native Cingalese churches, 
and Mrs. Inskip addressed the young people. These 
native Christians love class-meetings, as was shown 
by their class-book, where not one was marked absent. 
The pastor of the Wesleyan Chapel being away, Mr. 
Inski23 occupied the. pulpit in the evening, it having 
been supplied in the morning by Mr. Gardner. 

During the week the way opened, and a number of 
interesting services were held. Wednesday after- 
noon Mrs. InskiiD held a parlor meeting for Cingalese 
women, who appeared deeply moved, and almost fifty 
expressed a desire to give their. hearts to God. A 
Portuguese congregation requested that Mr. Inskip 
preach to them on "purity of heart." Though he 
sjjoke through an interpreter, the interest was so 
great that a service was appointed for the next day, 
when the house was filled with peoj^le. He was led 
to invite them forward, and nearly a hundred and 



AROUND THE WORLD. 309 

fifty responded ; many were hopefully converted, and 
some obtained purity through the blood of Christ. 
A third service was appointed ; Mr. Osborne, who 
had just arrived, preached, and a number more were 

VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA, 

Saturday, Mrvrch 5, they sailed on the steamship 
"Catha" for Australia. • The voyage across the Indian 
Ocean was safe and pleasant^ excepting, soon after 
crossing the equator, they struck the trade- winds, and 
for five days the j^assengers were compelled to pay 
the customary tribute to N'epture. There were about 
fifty on board, nearly all of whom, except the Ameri- 
can party, were connected with the Church of Eng- 
land. The public religious services were monopolized 
by an archdeacon, who assumed his surplice every 
sabbath morning, and consumed forty-five minutes on 
the ritual, and fifteen in delivering a sermon. After 
this effort, he and thirty-five of his fellow-churchmen 
sat down to dinner with a bottle of wine, brandy, or 
whiskey marshaled before each j^late, thus showing 
that he believed in being filled with spirit^ and the 
majority followed his ardent example. 

On the tenth day the rocky western coast of Aus- 
tralia came in view, and a few days later they reached 
King George's Sound, and cast anchor opi^osite Al- 
bany, a town of twelve hundred inhabitants. Messrs. 
Osborn and Gardner went ashore, and were warmly 
received by Mr. Mowland, the Wesleyan preacher,, 
who returned with them to the ship, and endeavored 
to persuade Mr. In skip to stop a week or two and 
hold a meeting in his church, which he would gladly 
have done had there been time. The gentlemen 



310 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

brought back a quantity of fresh fruits, such as are 
abundant in early autumn, March being the first fall 
month in Australia. Everything is reversed in this 
southern continent. Summer is in our winter, and 
spring is in the fall ; it is hot when the north wind 
blows, and cool when the wind is from the south. 

AUSTRALIA. 

As the ship sailed along the southern coast, day 

after day the approj^riateness of designating Australia 

a continent became apparent. Eight thousand miles 

of coast-line, and an area of three million square 

miles, — twenty-six times as large as Great Britain 

and Ireland, — ought to be sufficient to constitute a 

continent. The first English settlement, — the penal 

colony of New South Wales, — was in 1788, less 

than a hundred years ago, and its growth has been 

mainly since the discovery of gold in 1850 ; still, 

its present population is nearly three million, and the 

exports in 1878 amounted to two hundred and twenty 

million dollars. 

MELBOURNE. 

Wednesday, March 23, after a voyage of seven- 
teen days from Point de Galle, the steamer sailed into 
the estuary of Port Philip, and the company landed 
at Melbourne, where they were heartily welcomed by 
Rev. Messrs. Horsely, Binks, and Wells, Wesleyan 
ministers of the city. A formal reception had been 
arranged before their ari-ival for Thursday evening, 
and, notwithstanding a heavy rain, the Lonsdale street 
church was well- filled, galleries and all. A large num- 
ber of clergymen, representing different denomina- 
tions, were present, and the welcome extended- by 



AROUND THE WORLD. 311 

l^astors and people was so cordial that tlie strangers 
felt immediately at home. 

The site of the i3resent city of Melbourne was 
selected and occupied in 1835, and the settlement 
named for Lord Melbourne three years later. It now 
contains about two hundred and sixty thousand in- 
habitants, and .many costly and elegant public and 
private buildings. Its rapid growth is due to its 
location on the Yarra-Yarra River, in a rich agricul- 
tural district, whose wheat-fields sometimes yield 
thirty-four bushels to the acre, but j^erhaps more 
because it is the port of entry to the gold region of 
Victoria. 

On Friday, Mr. and Mrs. Inskip visited the great 
Melbourne Exhibition, and listened to a children's 
concert, when hundreds of youthful voices, blended 
in joyous song, filled the large building, and delighted 
"Auntie Inskip," the children's friend. 

The first meeting in Australia commenced Sunday, 
March 27, in the beautiful Lonsdale street Wesleyan 
church, located in the centre of the city, and one of 
the finest churclies belonging to the denomination. It 
is a Gothic edifice, with lofty spire, stained-glass win- 
dows,, a large organ, and it will seat fifteen hundred 
people. Mr. Inskip preached in the morning, and 
'again at night. Mr. Osborn preached in the after- 
noon, and at the same hour Mrs. Inskij^, assisted by 
Mr .- Gardner, held a service for young people in the 
Brunswick street church, whose Sunday-school num- 
bers eight hundred ; and nearly or quite eighty came 
forward, seeking Christ. From this opening-day to 
the close of the meeting, Thursday, April 14, nearly 
three weeks, there was a continual manifestation of 



312 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

the presence and power of God. Two services were 
held daily, and three each Sabbath, beside three ser- 
vices conducted by Mrs. Inski]), which were owned of 
God in the hopeful conversion of nearly two hundred 
youth. 

Rev. Mr. Clarke, pastor of one of the Baptist 
Churches, postj^oned a series of meetings that he and 
his people might attend those at Wesley Church. 
The tenth day was' observed as an all-day meeting, 
and was a Pentecostal time, fully one hundred pro- 
fessing to be saved at the five services. The influence 
and power of the Spirit of God was disjjlayed in the 
sanctification of some of the leading men in this and 
other churches, and in the conversion of some who 
had been long the subjects of earnest j^rayer. 

Mrs. Osborn, being ill, her husband was able to 
preach but four times, and the burden of these pro- 
tracted and solemn services rested upon Mr. Inskip, 
who preached twenty-eight sermons. 

While at Melbourne, the sad tidings were received 
of the death of Mr. and Mrs. Inskip's daughter-in-law, 
who, for more than twenty years, occujiied a child's 
place in their heart and home, since the death of their 
only son, soon after his marriage. 

BALLARAT. 

The second meeting was held at Ballarat, a moun- 
tain town four hours by railroad from Melbourne. 
Though less than thirty years old, Ballarat has ninety 
miles of well-made streets, and the same of gas and 
water pipes, two large public libraries, fifty-six churches, 
twenty large public schools, and a population of forty 
thousand. In and around the town are extensive gold 



AROUND THE WORLD. 313 

mines, some of wliich are very deep, and worked by 
steam-pumping and other macliinery. The miners 
descend in buckets to a dej^th of five hundred feet, 
and are relieved once in eight hours. The richest of 
these mines has yielded over half a million dollars 
annually for the last twelve years. 

Though wearied with his labors at Melbourne, Mr. 
Inskip commenced a meeting at Lydiard street Wes- 
leyan church the following Sabbath, which continued 
for nine days, with blessed results. The crowds were 
excessive ; in some instances hundreds went away, 
unable to get into the church. Mr. Cope, the pastor, 
led the way in seeking purity, and was folloAved by 
ministers of his own and other denominations, and by 
his class-leaders and official members. Mrs. Inskij^ 
held meetings for the young each Sunday at three p. m., 
when scores made their way to the communion rail 
and front pews, and very many were converted. 
Among interesting cases of conversion were the son 
and daughter of the Sunday-school superintendent, 
aged respectively nineteen and fifteen years ; and a 
young infidel, who felt the influence of the Spirit, 
came forward, knelt among the children and found the 
Lord; It Avas estimated that seven hundred persons 
were blessed during the meeting, of whom five hundred 

were converted. 

- GEELOT^G. 

Tlie meeting closed at Ballarat Monday evening, 
and the next morning Mr. Inskip and wife left for 
Geelong, forty-five miles west of Melbourne. It is 
delightfully located on Corio Bay, and with its pop- 
ulous suburbs, contains about the same population as 
Ballarat. The meeting was held in the Yarra street 



314 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

Wesleyan church, and continued for one week, during 
which Mr. Inskip jDreached twelve sermons, and his 
wife held her customary children's meeting. Every 
service increased in interest and power. The pastors, 
Rev. Messrs. Bath and Butchers, at an early period in 
the meeting, took decided position in favor of the 
work of entire sanctification, and led the people in 
seeking it. The congregations were large and atten- 
tive, and increased until the church was packed to 
overflowing. Some two hundred and fifty were saved 
up to the time when Mr. Inskip left for Sidney. Mr. 
Osborn and wife came and carried on the meeting for 
two Aveeks longer with great success. 

SIDNEY. 

From Geelong Mr. Inskip and wife returned to 
Melbourne, en- route to Sidney. After a visit of two 
days with the friends who first welcomed them to 
Australia, they proceeded by rail to Sidney, in New 
South Wales, a distance of five hundred and eighty- 
six miles, requiring a wearisome journey of twenty-six 
hours in "a sleeping-car as little like an American 
Pullman car, as (to use Mr. Inskip's words) a dilapi- 
dated old ox-cart is like a comfortable carriage." 

Sidney is the oldest and most important city in 
Australia, and has an excellent harbor. Being some- 
what removed from the feverish excitement of gold 
sj^eculation, its growth has been steady and solid, and 
its University is the largest and oldest in Australia. 
The services in the York street church, commenced 
Sunday, May 8, and continued twice each day, ex- 
cepting Saturday, until Wednesday evening, the 18th. 
The opening service was not auspicious, the pastor 



AROUND THE WORLD. 315 

occupying fifty minutes with the ritual — a strange 
tiling in a Methodist church. The work of salvation 
opened in the young people's meeting in the afternoon, 
and as the meetings progressed the interest became 
general ; all classes were moved, and all denominations 
of Christians. At one service, six Episcopal clergy- 
men were present, beside several Presbyterian minis- 
ters, and Methodist preachers from the adjacent 
country. Among the converts were a number of 
young men connected with the University. 

Over two thousand were present at the second 
meeting for young people, and a large number sought 
the Lord. The interest steadily increased to the last, 
and it required little entreaty to persuade the people 
to come forward. From one hundred to two hundred 
and fifty knelt at a time around the altar of prayer. 
One of the preachers stated that not far from a thou- 
sand persons had obtained pardon or purity, and he 
judged that two-thirds were new converts. 

Thursday, May 19, Mr. Inskip and his helpmeet, 
accompanied by Mr. Gardner, bade good-by to Aus- 
tralia, and started on their homeward voyage. Of his 
brief visit Mr. Inskip wrote : " During the eight weeks 
we remained in Australia, we travelled by rail about 
eight hundred miles, preached eighty sermons, and 
saw about twenty-five hundred people saved, about 
two-thirds of whom were converted, and the balance 
wholly sanctified. Among the last-mentioned class, 
were a large number of ministers of the gospel, trav- 
eling and local. Besides attending and actively par- 
ticipating in seventy-eight of the eighty-four public 
services held by us during our stay in Australia, JMrs. 
Inskip held eight large meetings for the benefit of 



316 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT. 

young people, and was graciously sustained and en- 
couraged in her work. Not less than one thousand 
precious souls were converted at these meetings for 
young people. To God be all the praise. Our visit to 
Australia will never be forgotten, but will be kept in 
grateful remembrance by us during the balance of our 
earthly sojourn." 

The following, taken from the " Southern Cross," is 
an Australian account of the work, and will enable 
the reader to judge of its depth and stability: — 

"A remarkable wave of revival influence has been 
passing over the Ballarat district during the last four 
months. Commencing with the visit of Mr. and Mrs. 
Inskip, the work has gone on wonderfully. At that 
time, over four hundred were brought in at the Lyd- 
iard street Wesleyan church alone, of whom the 
greater part are still standing firmly. The awakened 
si:)iritual life there caused a number of the young men 
to band themselves together, and the result was a very 
blessed one. About one hundred and ninety were 
brought in at the Rubicon street Church, and then, 
with the Rev. E. A. Edgar as leader, the work Avas still 
further carried on at Sebastopol, Macarthur street, 
Pleasant street. Black Lead, Buninyong, Clarendon, 
Scotchman's Lead, Wendoree, and again at Lydiard 
street, the result being that five hundred and sixty- 
two names were given in of those who had made either 
a fi-esh consecration of their hearts to God, or a first 
resolve to seek His face and walk in His law." 

"At Geelong special services were begun in the 
Yarra street Wesleyan church in connection with the 
visit of the Rev. J. S. Inskij? and his companions. 
Two or three points are worth noticing in connection 



AROUND THE WORLD. 317 

with these services ; and, first, it is worthy of remark 
that after all the so-called excitement has passed away 
the fruit remains. This is the surest test of a g'enuine 
T\'ork of grace. The young have been brought to 
decision for Christ, backsliders reclahned, and the 
whole church lifted to a higher plane of enjoyment 
and power. A second proof of genuineness is the fact 
that the work continued after the evangelists had 
gone, being carried on by the circuit ministers and 
lay workers in a dozen places, with more or less suc- 
cess everywhere. Geelong has not been so visited for 
many years, and the fruit of the work will only be 
known on the great day of account." 

THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 

The mail steamshij) Australia, on which Mr. Inskip 
sailed from Sidney to San Francisco, was a first-class 
vessel, though, as he said, " a notorious roller.''^ Relig- 
ious services were held regularly on the Sabbath, in 
which, after the usual church ritual, Mr. Inskip gave 
a short sermon. Evening devotions were observed 
daily in the second-class saloon, when health and cir- 
cumstances permitted. The run to Auckland, the 
principal town in Xew Zealand, was pleasant and 
comparatively smooth. Here they stopped for a few 
hours to take on board twenty-seven rough appearing 
" latter-day saints ^ 

Then succeeded a long tedious voyage over the mis- 
named Pacific ocean, whose gales and hurricanes are 
too well known to the mariner. Early in the morn- 
ing of June 6th, they arrived at Honolulu, Sandwich 
Islands, where they stopped several hours, and enjoyed 
a delio-htful time on shore. 



318 ENGLAND AND THE ORIENT, 



SAN FRANCISCO. 
Tuesday, June 14, the Australian entered- the 
Golden Gate, and oiir friends landed safely at San 
Francisco, twenty-two days later than the remainder 
of the company landed at New York. Here Mr. 
Inskij) passed a feAY days, and held several meetings 
in the Central Church, and preached once at the 
Howard street church, which services were attended 
with the presence and power of God, proving a helji 
and encouragement to many. 

AT HOME ONCE MORE. 

Wednesday Evening, June 29, Mr. Inskip and 
wife arrived at their home by the sea at Ocean Grove, 
and the long tour was over. They had circumnavi- 
gated the globe to encourage a trustful, joyous, active 
life of holiness, and God had crowned their labors and 
those of their associates with abundant success. All 
had returned Avithout accident or impaired health, fur- 
nishing living witnesses to the power of ijrsijer, such 
as no Tyndal could disprove. 

Two weeks later the whole company met in the 
tented grove at Round Lake, where thousands of the 
friends of holiness, whose prayers and sympathies had 
followed them, joined with them in grateful songs of 
thanksgiving for the gracious presence^ providence 
and Uessings of God, Avhich had attended them 
through all their journeyings and labors. 



"PERFECT LOVE." 



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Purity and Maturity,' 



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